


Life Changing

by marisandini



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: A-lister!Sam, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF!Danny, BAMF!Sam, BAMF!Tucker, Danny my sweet angst cinnamon roll, Drama & Romance, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Gen, Inspired by Amethyst Ocean, Inspired by Fanart, Many new ghosts!, Never forget Tucker, New Ghosts, Old Ghosts, Pokemon, Pokemon Reference, Romance, Teen Romance, Tucker my boi, popular!Sam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2020-03-29 14:50:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 55,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19022143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marisandini/pseuds/marisandini
Summary: I've seen enough fanfic of Sam meeting Popular Jerk Danny after he became Phantom so she could kick him in the booty. Yet not enough with Sam being an A-lister, hanging out with Paulina and Star, and becoming the ideal daughter her mother always wanted to be. This story covers her choices between becoming what others want her to be and what she wanted after meeting Danny and getting roped into his crazy life of ghosts.DISCLAIMER: I do not own Danny Phantom in any way, shape, or form. Whether the series is dead or alive.Crossposted in FFN





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> Thanking one great artist, Amethyst Ocean who gave me this inspiration. Those who are curious should look into her Tumblr or DeviantArt because her works are great!
> 
> Oh! FYI, there'd be new and old ghost baddies and ghost allies in the future so while things might start a little copy-paste, it will be a whole new story in the long run.
> 
> At least I hope you think that way
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

  _My name is Clockwork, people and ghosts alike know me as Master of Time. I am aware that you recognize the story of the h_ _alfa, who is known as the world's greatest hero. Far and near had heard his tale, and now what I'm about to tell you is another interesting take of what may have been._

_However, to tell this twist of the story, our favorite hero... won't be the main character._

 

**_TIME IN!_ **

 

Samantha Manson groaned in relief when the lunch bell finally rang. She quickly packed her utensils and books, then made way to her locker. The girl has nothing against Mr. Peckerman, but physic was never her strongest suit, and Sam wouldn't mind jumping off the window to get away from it. She tucked in her physic book to her locker and cringed when she heard the high pitched greeting.

"Yoohoo, Sammy!"

Sam forced a smile as she resisted the urge to slammed her locker. That's not what a proper woman would do, her mother would frown on her if she did that. So she turned with a warm smile at her friends Paulina and Star, who were walking over to her. It took every willpower for her not to eye-roll at the exaggerated antics of the boys as they leered at them.

' _Boys..._ ' she mentally scoffed, ' _typical of them._ '

"Hey Paulina, how have you been?" she greeted her.

"Fine. Oh, and Sam, you wouldn't believe what I have to tell you."

That got a slightest raised of her eyebrow, "Let me guess, Alexis from your Biology class broke up with Dale and hook up with the nerd next door?" she droned.

Paulina instantly deflated, looking like her favorite toy had just been taking away. Star clapped her shoulder with a soft smile, "I told you it wouldn't surprise her, nothing ever has."

"It's going to take a lot more to make me-" Sam made a gasping sound as she shifted her expression to a shocked look to emphasize her point.

The Hispanic girl huffed in sulk, "Oh well, it was worth the try," she said with her thick accent, "Now come on, we better go, or we'll lose time for our lunch."

And so Sam and her A-lister friends walked their way through the corridor like they owned the place.

Actually...if you really asked her then, Sam would answer you that her relationship with Paulina is the definition of 'Frenemy.'

They're friends, in a sense, that they would help and learn (though not much from Paulina's side) from each other. The two have their bouts a lot more than most people wouldn't know. Most of them involving Paulina feeling her popularity threatened by Sam, or Sam arguing over... well... let's just say a lot of things.

Yet the two somehow were able to rekindle their friendship time and time again, but the two knew they'll have their bout once more so their friendship is, shall we say, skin deep.

Because whether they're friends or not, they are the A-listers, and they, like it or not, would end up being grouped with each other. Sam had never cared about being an A-lister. What she did care was being the proper lady her mother had always wanted her to be; that meant being at the top of the social ladder.

"...and so I was like 'no way' and she was like 'yes way'" Paulina giggled as she retold her story.

"No way!"" Star said back.

"Yes, way!" Paulina confirmed.

And the three of them laughed as they went on back and forth, but Sam laughed more to at them rather than with them as they looked silly recounting a simple story. It's only polite to respond appropriately though, exactly how her mother taught her, so she continued eating her plate of spaghetti. Sam grimaced at how poorly taste the sauce was. Being an ultra-recyclo vegetarian almost her whole life, it's easy for her to tell those that are canned processed and fresh organic made one. She usually brought her own lunch that her chef would make. Still, if this is the typical taste the cafeteria cooks up, they need a new menu.

Or better yet, maybe she could try to petition an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian Week to the school board. She smirked at what kind of reaction Paulina might take, add the fact that she could argue it by saying it helps her complexion and doesn't give her fat would force her to eat it her way in the end. She's obsessed with beauty too much to care most things, and she's not lying if she says it's good for the skin.

The school bell rang once more, and she had gone off to her locker to get her English textbook, "We all got Mr. Lancer next, right?" Star voiced her question.

"Yes, we do" Sam answered her, "Did you finished that assignment we had on the 60s movies, what did you write about?"

"Mary Poppins, I wrote it since I never actually tried watching it before. I had always be curious about what the hype is all about," Star answered, feeling glad that one of her friends could have an actual conversation on school work. She didn't mind Paulina, and she could be a great friend, but she had times that make you want to yank her hair out.

Just as they were about to discuss their work further, Sam had the unfortunately collided with someone, scattering her papers and book on hand. That same someone was also quick enough to take her hand before she fell on her butt, but she looked up to find a pair of baby blue eyes. The guy yelped, and in result, letting her go and forced her to continue her fall.

' _Ah bummer, and I was about to give him some brownie points,_ ' Sam briefly thought.

The guy seemed to realize what he just did as his jaw began to opened and close like a fish and his eyes wide and rounded like a saucer, "I'm sooooo so sorry, I didn't mean... I thought... and you..." the kid was a nervous wreck, but when his eyes turned to the pile of papers around the A-List girl was about to pick up, he crouched down and swiftly picked them all up for her. It was a kind gesture, but seeing as this is his fault, she politely murmured thanks before going off with her two friends.

"Your day isn't going to be a good one, Sammy. Not if you bump that Freak, Fenton over there," Paulina sneered with her thumb jamming behind her.

Sam blinked then turned her head slightly back toward the kid who was now banging his head to the nearest locker. After she noticed the shaggy black hair, the casual white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, she knew he was indeed Danny Fenton. The son of Amity Park's proclaimed ghost hunters and crackpot scientists, "I didn't notice," she hummed truthfully.

"I don't blame you, he's pretty much invisible to everyone but Dash," Star gave out her thoughts. Sam pursed her lips in distaste knowing what kind of 'attention' she suspected Dash was giving to the guy.

The three took their usual seat just in time for Mr. Lancer to come in, followed by Danny Fenton. Sam's eye subconsciously followed him, ruling out the fact that he's the bottom of the pecking, he was slightly cute in her opinion. She glanced back to her English Teacher and proceed to take notes for the rest of her period.

"Now Class, before we finished this subject, I would like to announce your next Pair Assignment." The groaning was audible throughout the class because everyone knows Mr. Lancer always assigned their pair. "Everyone be quiet! After I assign your partners, the two of you are going to write a Tandem Story." Murmurs of confusion resounded all around, and Lancer continued explaining, "The process is simple. The two of you will write a short story together. One of you will write the first paragraph, and the partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back and forth. Remember to reread what has been written each time to keep the story coherent. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached. Be warned I can tell by your handwriting whether you left the work to one person or not"

That got the rest of the class whispered in excitement, but immediately the air turned to nervousness once Lancer started calling out names.

Sam, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. She admitted it was an interesting assignment but not something she would like to do. Sam loved reading, so in extension, she is a critic. She would definitely want her partner's writing up to par with hers, so no, Sam was not looking forward to this project.

"Sam Manson..."

Her heartbeat quickens, and her eyes instantly bore down to the teacher in front of her.

"...with Danny Fenton"

...and finally paced down when she finally knew her partner, she felt like chuckling at the grim fate of the boy who knocked her down happened to be her new partner. She turned her head to said boy, and amethyst eyes met blue one. He quickly looked away now that he's caught looking at her.

Once the next period bell was heard, Sam packed her stuff and decided to make this project at least tolerable...and make use of the opportunity. "Hey Paulina, Star, I'll catch up with you later, okay?" and she walked out before waiting for their responses.

She saw her target talking with an African-American boy in a red beret cap, a pair of glasses, long sleeve yellow shirt, and baggy pants. She knew he's in the same class, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember his name.

"...so wait, you're saying you bumped into one of the hottest girls in school, caught her before she fell only to let her go at the last minute?" laughed the geeky looking boy.

"It's not funny, Tucker! I just embarrassed myself in front of Sam, and now I'll have to work with her as her partner without reminding myself of that," Danny moaned.

"Look at the bright side, at least she can't see you any lower."

"Don't jinx it, Tucker."

Before Tucker could say anything, the sound of cleared throat got their attention, turning aside to find the two looking at the subject of their conversation. Sam smiled politely at them, "Hey, Danny, right? Can you spare a minute to talk about our project?"

"I...aaaahh...sure..." the boy while scratching the back of his neck. "Tucker, could you..."

"No need to say it, bro, I'm out!" and so the geek friend left the scene.

He made a nervous grin and couldn't make out a proper word as he stutters. ' _He's such a dweeb'_  Sam thought and decided to save him from his own embarrassment, "So...this tandem writing, do you want to do it next Saturday. I thought we could go to your house and get it over with."

"Wa...wait...my house?!" he looked like he was holding back from shrieking the last word, "wh...why does it have to be my house? We could go to the library, do it in a park, and I'm sure you're more comfortable at your own home," he hastily tried to reason her.

But Sam was having none of that, not when the opportunity falls on her lap. "Hmm, actually my parents won't be there at that time, so I'm not too comfortable bringing a guy there even for school work." There's actually Grandma Ida and the maids, but he doesn't need to know that, "The parks and library would be crowded on Saturday, and I'm not good with crowds either."

Danny looked hesitant, but Sam wasn't one to give up, so mentally thanking Paulina and her flirtatious behavior, Sam leaned forward, their faces were close. She had her eyes upturned, her magenta lips forming a pout, her right hand holding his hand and her other arm on his chest. "I'm sorry...am I asking too much, I thought we could work better there, you know?"

That seemed to work the trick, Danny gulped slowly and nodded. Sam instantly brighten as she gave him some personal space, "Great, see you next Saturday!" and left for her next class.

Danny was still absent-mindedly staring at thin air and asked himself, "What just happened?"

For the rest of the day, Sam was trying hard not to look too excited at the prospect of finally meeting with Amity's own pair of ghost hunters. You would wonder why the filthy rich deli-toothpick-cellophane-twirling heiress would be so enthusiastic about. But just like how Dash has his secret stash of teddy bears, Sam has her secret stash of occult-related stuff. Myth, magical artifacts, legends, werewolves, ghosts, and anything nether-worldly was to her interest. Of course, there's no way her parents are aware of that. They would have confiscated from her, no question asked if it could influence in the wrong way. Not to mention the damage of her reputation would take if any of the student body knew.

So when Mr. Lancer partnered her up with a Fenton, she knew she wanted to go to his house. She had always been curious what was the science of something as occult as a ghost, and she finally could find out. Though, she'll need to make it subtle enough that Danny wouldn't raise an eyebrow at her.

Once school was over, she bid farewell with her friends and have her butler take her home. She was immediately greeted with the sounding love of her mother when she got back. "Sammykins, welcome home!"

"I'm home, Mother."

The two gave each other a warm hug, and Sam then noticed the good mood her mother has, "Did something good happened, Mother?"

"If you can say getting a good business deal is good news, then yes!" she gleefully answered.

"Really? What kind of business?"

"Oh, we haven't reached much of a deal yet, but your father has made arrangements to have a talk with Vlad Masters."

"Really? That Billionaire from Wisconsin?"

Pamela Manson nodded, "The one and only, anyway, Dear, how was your day, did anything different happened?"

Sam was about to answer her new school assignment but closed her mouth as she decided against it. She remembered the few times her parents weren't too fond of the Fentons, especially her mother. Thinking her mother should try to disturb her life as little as possible, Sam smiled sweetly at her and lied through her teeth. It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last, but she felt guilty regardless. Especially when Sam didn't feel the small pit of unease she used to have when she lied to her.

She rushed up to her room and slung down her pink butterfly backpack, her eyes caught to her mirror, and she began to look at herself. Her hair was now long enough to touch her back, violet eye-shadow that matched her eyes, and she wore a pink sweater, white skirt, and a pink choker with a heart shape on it.

A far cry outlook from the Sam we know.

She let herself fall on her king-size bed and stared at her ceiling, her mind went back to one Danny Fenton and smiled. "Saturday is going to be an interesting day."

 

**. . .**

 

Looking for the Fentonworks is always easy, almost everyone in town knows where to search, whether they wanted to or not. She had ever wondered how they got a permit to make something akin to a UFO on their rooftops.

"I'm not even sure I want to know the answer," she mumbled to herself.

Sam was second-guessing her decision now that she's here. Reason being if she's ready to face the sort of weirdness the Fenton was famous for when the whole town barely could handle. She pushed the doorbell, and the door was later opened by a ginger-haired girl that Sam recognized as Jasmine Fenton, one of the top students at Casper High.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Yeah I'm Sam Manson, and I'm here to see Danny, we have an assignment we need to work on together."

There was a sound of running footsteps and not a moment too soon, Danny was standing in front of her as he pushed her sister away. "Heeeeey Sam, glad you could make it" he pulled her inside and began pushing her up the stairs, much to her confusion.

"Danny! Don't be rude, it's the first time you brought someone else other than Tucker, at least let me talk and get to know her."

"And bored her from your psychobabble? Thanks, but I want to spare her the torture," he retorted with eyes rolled.

Being in the middle of things, Sam wasn't sure how to react to this so she decided to compromise, "How about we talked after Danny and me finished our assignment, wouldn't want to get distracted."

"Huh, that's fair," Jazz mused.

"Then excuse us because we've got a project to finish," Danny continued pushing her up until he motioned her to the first room on her left that she guessed was his bedroom, "Sorry about that, but believe me when I say you need to be prepared before getting bombard with questions and getting unwanted psych evaluation."

"Let me guess... she done that enough time with you?"

"Haha, yeah." Suddenly he stood rigidly and only then realized he had shoved the most popular girl in Casper High to his room without a second thought. He fumbled his desk to reach for his utensil and brought out a small coffee table for them to work together on.

Oh, he tried to keep his composure, but Sam was half exasperated and amused by his antics. Usually, when she got stuck together with a boy alone, they would be too embarrassed to speak or tried swooning her pathetically. It was refreshing despite him having a hard time trying to stay calm and impressed her, Danny still tried to focus on their work and consider what her thoughts were. Like if she's comfortable here, or if she wanted any food or drinks, even her opinion in her assignment.

The last was a bit of surprise to her because most boys were too shallow or self-centered to ask her opinion. She almost forgot why she suggested working in his house in the first place.

"Hey Danny, are your parents an actual real ghost hunter?"

That elicited a tired groaned from him, feeling the dread where the conversation is going. "Yeah, they are," he said as he shifted his seat. "I know it's weird, you don't need to remind me."

"I'm more curious how something as supernatural as ghost could be explained in science," Sam voiced out her though nonchalantly. She hoped she looked as detached as she sounded.

That got Danny to blink and looked at her with curiously that almost had Sam nervous, feeling she had blown her cover, "So... do you believe in ghost?" Danny asked hesitantly.

Sam made a short paused and glanced thoughtfully, "I don't. Seeing as I never saw one, I don't believe in one either," and it was the truth. Sam may have interest in the paranormal, but she was still realistic enough not to believe everything she reads. She was still hopeful that there should at least be a grain of truth in it. That reality isn't something people could explain every facet of it. 

Danny lips curved up at a thought he just had, "Are you sure? Going by that logic means you don't believe in gravity either."

"We can see an apple falling, right? Which means we can see gravity at works," she countered with a sly smile.

Danny pointed his pencil to her with narrowed eyes, "Point to you, Miss Manson."

They both chuckled at each other's antics, and Sam couldn't believe how easy it is to talk with the 'freak' kid at school. She had almost always tried to resist the urge to lash out or punch boys senseless when they were stupid or shallow, but Danny felt different to her. It was just a short small talk, but she thought he was a gentleman in his own dorky way, and little by little, she felt she could let loose without him putting pressure on how she would act.

Unknown to her, Danny felt something similar to her as well. Here he was, one of the geeks of Casper High talking casually with one of the popular girls in school. He had planned the whole day what to say to her, even having Tucker to pretend as her to help his nerve (He overdid it with the cosplay and makeup). Maybe also hoping she would get her to notice him, no matter how much wishful thinking it was. So imagine his surprise at how... easy it was talking to her. Unlike the rest of the A-Listers, she doesn't judge him, nor does she try to ignore, or make him do her work (which he probably would do if she asked) like he had thought. Danny found he doesn't need to pretend in front of her to impress her and something in his heart loosen.

"So...do  _you_ believe in ghosts?" Sam found herself asking.

Danny took time to think of an answer. Sam waited, curious with his reply, "I don't believe there's one," he finally decided, "but living with my parents for my whole life, I can't deny... and maybe just a bit hopeful the possibility that maybe we're not truly alone. There might be nothing at all, but imagined how cool that would be if there's another plane of existence people have never tried or consider to explore and..." Danny began to realize he was on the brick of rambling or worse, he was on the brick of rambling about ghost...  _like his dad!_

' _That would be a nightmare_ ,' he silently thought.

"Eh, sorry, you're probably not interested in that kind of stuff." Danny scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, oblivious to Sam's to how close her own thoughts were with Danny. She wanted to say it wasn't true but caught herself before she was revealed as a supernatural geek in front of him.

She coughed dryly and began to glance at their empty paper, "So, I'm guessing we should start working on our assignment?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, haha, we should because that's what you're here for, homework, isn't that right?"

Suddenly the door to his room opened and came in was Tucker 'Too Fine' Foley, waving his PDA that showed an advertisement of the newest online game that the two boys would play tiredly overnight in the future. "Dude, the new online game, DOOM just came out today! Who wants to slay some monster overnight?!" His smile was wiped off when he noticed the one extra guest at the room sitting next to a facepalmed Danny.

"I came in a bad time, didn't I?"

"Tucker, didn't I tell you I'm busy today?"

"I..." he lifted his finger to explained but trailed off in the end, "may have forgotten that detail out of excitement."

He glared at his best friend before he sheepishly laughed at Sam, "Would you excuse us for a second?" Danny was about to drag him out when the door burst opened once more and slammed to his face.

"Danny, I need to ask a favor!" Cried Jazz in a frantic tone.

Danny rubbed the sore he felt on his nose, and his glare grew even more angry and annoyed. "What. Jazz?" he growled. 

"If mom and dad ask where I am, I'll be in the library the whole day, so don't try to find me."

Said brother began to grow confused, "What-why would yo-"

"You will! Great, see ya!" She said with a grin before dashing away that got him to blink confusingly.

"So, any other takers going to barge in my room?" As if the universe was granting his wish, the door slammed open once more to meet his face. And it was by none other than two of his hazmat-wearing-ghost-craze-parents. Sam had to wince at how hard the door opened.

"Danny, we got some big new-" Jack Fenton stopped short when he noticed his only son wasn't in sight and looked around, "Where's Danny?"

The two occupants in the room pointed at the back of the door where an arm was jutting out, followed by a pained groan was heard.

"DANN-O!" Jack said enthusiastically, ignoring the additional people in the room.

"You'll never guess what we finally finished!" Maddy supplied just as enthusiastically but didn't miss the two guests hanging his son's room. "Oh I'm sorry, did we bother you somehow?" Maddy said sweetly, "My husband and I could get too excited with our works."

Sam took that chance to snap out of her trance and turned to her usual default reply when she's dealing with her elder. "No, no, it's no problem, Mrs. Fenton. and it's nice to meet you," she said with her tone just as sweet as Maddy's, "My name is Samantha Manson but please call me Sam, Danny and I were just getting started with our English assignment."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Sa-"

"You're friends are here, PERFECT! Then let's show them our masterpiece!" Jack excitedly state, oblivious that he had cut in her wife. So without much regard to their opinion, Jack Fenton grabbed the two's hand and dragged them all the way to the basement to meet a giant metal hole.

"What is that?" Tucker voiced out the three kid's wonder.

Jack stood with his chest stuck out with pride, "That... just so happens to be our completed ghost portal."

"Get out..." Tucker whispered disbelievingly.

"Wait, you were serious about that portal?!" Danny said after snapping out of his shock. Sure he knew they were busy with their newest project when they finally had enough resources to put together a portal to another dimension in their basement, but he didn't think they were capable of it. Reanimating food is weird enough, but opening the door to the realm of the dead? No sane person would think any part of that sentence is a cause for a good idea.

"Of course, sweety, we've been working on this portal for more than 20 years." Maddie explained, "We hadn't given up then, and we're not giving up now"

"And now we're about to activate right here and now!" Jack exclaimed like a little boy with a sugar rush.

Amid this revelation, Sam wasn't sure how to take all this. She had thought they would blab the answer she wanted to hear on their own if their reputation was to be trusted, which from what the girl observed is true. Maybe if Sam was lucky, she could get up close personal with their work.

But getting to witness the completion of a portal that connects to the ghost zone? Forget being insane, she would never think such a thing possible.

However, looking at the giant hole occupying the wall, the futuristic style that you would fie in sci-fi movies, the long list of numbers and calculation at the whiteboard hanging at the next wall, everything seemed so... real.

"Now, let's get this baby started!" Sam blinked after snapping out of her daze and missed the long story of how the two Fentons had painstakingly built the portal with their sweat, tears, and blood.

With the lack of blood, the farthest they could draw was a paper cut.

Jack Fenton held one cord, and Maddie Fenton held the other, deciding they would finish their life's work together. The kids began to catch their breath, partially in excitement and partly under anticipation stirring the air.

The cord came together, the whirring sound of the machine became louder, a spark or two light up before unnatural green light began forming.

Then almost as fast as things came together, it fell apart.

The green portal came to nothing, the light flickered out, the sound went to a silent, and everything came to an end like a puppet show that suddenly had its wires cut in the middle of a play.

While the kids weren't sure what exactly happened, the adults, on the other hand, were flustered. Jack began to examine if the machine was operational and Maddie checked through her calculation

once more.

"I...I don't understand! Everything is stable, and we triple checked the calculation. It...should have worked!" Jack mumbled aloud, all the while Maddie was silent, but she had the same distressed look she had.

No, it wasn't distressed, it was resignation.

Years of research, years of studying, years of experimenting. The scientist was sure that this time their life's work would work, but now? It just seemed to prove that ghost just doesn't exist.

"Hahaha, looks like we have to start off from scratch once more, Mads!" Jack Fenton booming voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked back at her husband, smiling and looking at the portal as if it was another puzzle piece to crack. Maddie didn't know how to break it to her husband that maybe they were wrong after all.

Then she met eyes with her husband and noticed the stubborn glint in his eyes, and she knew he's not giving up just yet. Maddie couldn't help but blinked back the tears that were starting to form and smiled back at her husband.

However, she's not ready to jump back up again just yet. Not after witnessing all the hard work she and her husband made was amount to nothing. "Come on, Honey, how about we go upstairs, and I'll make some fudge."

That got all the attention Jack needed to hurry upstairs with childish glee. Maddie then turned to the three kids with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry you kids were made disappointed. You can stay and look around the lab but please don't touch anything, we'll be upstairs if you kids want any fudge" and with that note, she left.

They were all left silent until Danny realized the third additional person in the room and was beginning of what Casper High's most popular girl would think of him now after witnessing a failed attempt making a ghost portal of all things.

"Uuh... haha... wow, that was a major let down my parents made." Danny frantically tried to brush it off and looking anywhere but Sam's face as he feared she would either be disappointed, weirded out, or disgusted.

The girl in question was still not sure what she was feeling. Disappointing? Yes. Awkward? Quite. Underwhelmed? Definitely. Dismayed? Sort of.

Yet she kept her eyes on the so-called portal before turning toward the sheepish Fenton, who was whispering with his best friend. Even if it didn't outright work, the Fentons said they had worked for more than 20 years! Surely with a little prob and examination, it would work, right? The last time she had a problem with high-tech German toaster and realized because the switch was still in DEMO mode instead of ON. Maybe the problem was something a lot more simple unless adequately examined.

And if her eyes weren't pulling tricks, she knew she briefly saw the swirling green light just as the cords were connected.

Sam was tempted, so very tempted to urge Danny to go inside and looked around for any signs that could make it work. After all, it was  _his_ parent's life work, who better else to check on it but him? She held herself back in the last second, reminding herself that she's a Manson, and Mansons don't geek out about ghosts and certainly not in front of those two dweebs.

"Too bad," she professed with a ghost of a smile. "I almost thought it'd be cool if ghosts really do exist." That snapped the two boys from their talk to her when she finally voiced out her thought.

"You...you really think so?" Danny asked, unsure.

She shrugged her shoulder, "Well yeah, what would be cooler than proving the non-existent exist? You would make a riot out of the whole world." She sighed wistfully at the portal before walking out of the basement, she stopped midway to look back at the boys, "So... are we going to finish that assignment or not?"

That snapped Danny in whatever thought he was thinking and rushed back to his room, apologizing for the off-track his parents had dragged her. Tucker lingered a little longer since he was already here, and Danny was half-annoyed and half-thankful he was there so he wouldn't get jitters from talking with a cute girl.

The girl herself decided that maybe she could take to the Fentons some other time when they don't need a rebound from their newest failure. That's why when the Fentons offered a place for her on their table for dinner, she politely declined as it was getting late, and she should be back home.

 

**_TIME OUT!_ **

 

_What do you think?_

_A surprise change of character, isn't she?_

_You would think there'd be barely any changes, but you would be so wrong to think that._

_Now let's fast forward to the moment of truth and witness a life-changing experience._

 

**_TIME IN!_ **

 

"Oh man, Tucker, now she definitely thinks me and parents are a freak now," Danny lamented as he paced back and forth in the lab.

"What makes you think she didn't think of you as a freak before?" Tucker chimed in attempt calmed his friend down, which instead made it worst.

"At least before she might think I was a geek, but if she thinks I'm a freak, I'll be one of the last people she ever wants to see again!"

"Come on, Danny, look at the bright side!"

"Since I can't find one, mind shedding some light on that side for me?"

"Well, she probably thinks you're the same as any other hormonal teenager. She won't even remember your name instead of recognizing you as the ghost hunter's kid!" Tucker surmised in false cheer.

"After what happened today? I doubt it," Danny faltered, running his hand through his hair. Then stopped midway as a thought occurred when his eyes latched on to the portal. Tucker noticed him went silent and looked at the same thing, immediately knowing what he thought as if he had read his mind.

"Danny... you're not seriously thinking you could..." he asked wide eyes.

"Why not? You heard what Sam's says, if people know that ghost isn't just fiction, maybe people will look at us, my family, differently."

"Yeah, but the question is, can you fix it?"

Danny turned to gave a smirk at Techno-geek friend, "Well, one way to find out." He walked toward the wardrobe where his parents kept their collection of hazmat suits at the corner of the lab. They make sure to have one with his and Jazz's size, and thankfully, not all of them were bright orange-colored like his dad. He picked a white and black suit and quickly changed into it only to find there was a sticker of his father's face on his chest when he looked in the mirror attached to the wardrobe. Danny chuckled when he was reminded of the time his dad running around the house when he got a pack of stickers of his face and stuck it to almost everything. He pulled out the sticker and felt more ready to face the obstacle infront of him.

He turned to Tucker with a smile, wordlessly asking how he looked.

"You know...that hazmat suit makes you kinda lame."

And prompt him to glare at his best friend. "You know what's not lame? SAFETY," he pointed out to his face. Danny then stood at the mouth of the portal, somehow feeling eerily at the sight of a deep cave with wiring all over the surface.

"You sure you want to do this?" Tucker asked again, a bit unsure of his idea. He doubted his friend could somehow jump-start a portal to another dimension when his parents can't, but he might find some kind of loophole they missed.

"Yeah, I'm sure... besides, I feel kind of bad anyway that my parents' work didn't go well. Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad their obsession had me and Jazz feel invisible to them. We even hoped it fails like the rest of their ghost-related project, but this is their life work, they are way more depressed about it than any other brainchild they had. I should know."

"You sure there aren't any other reasons?"

Danny tilted his head, "Well... when you put it that way, I guess I'm wondering what kind of super cool thing on the other side of the portal? Aren't you curious?"

Tucker just shook his head with a fond smile at his friend's passion for learning a whole new world, "We better commemorate this if you do succeed proving the world ghost exists!" Tucker lifted his PDA and took a selfie of the two with his phone.

Danny chuckled lightly at his friends antics that somehow eased the lingering tension in his gut, he took a deep breath and looked back at the mechanical cave, "Here goes nothing."

Danny slowly walked into the tunnel-like portal, a little taken aback at how deep it was. The further he walked in, the darker it gets, so he reached for the wall without thinking to help guide him. However, he felt something jotting out the wall, and there was the faint click sound he almost missed. Greenlight shone on the walls, and though faint, there was a whirring sound Danny was familiar with a machine activating. Out of the corner of his eyes, before everything turned blank from pain, was a panel that had a pair of red and green buttons, with a sign saying ON and OFF that I don't need to point which is which.

After that...

Well...

You know the rest.


	2. Meat Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since the accident, how will Sam react on her first encounter with a real "life" ghost? And who the heck is this bright-haired kid who looked oddly familiar to her? Certainly not the Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian Week she had in mind.

 

A month has passed since, and Sam's life went on as usual. She intended to get to know Danny, at least in acquaintance-level, so she gets to learn more about ghosts. However, lately, she noticed he became a lot more invisible, clumsier, and with no offense intended, weirder.

After her visit to his home, she thought it would be easier now to come up and talk casually with him, but instead, he became a lot more distant. There was the incident where Danny randomly burst into anger at random things and people, even to teachers, that Dash has confessed he had stayed away from him because he was 'freakier than freaky.' She had to admit Danny looked quite scary when angered and no one dared to come closer to him without Tucker on his side. Then when she thought things went back to normal after she saw him making a lame quip at Dash before being shoved into his locker. At some point, he became all quiet and meek that Dash confessed again he had stopped bullying him because he saw the listless eyes and his quiet demeanor when being shoved into his locker was scarier to him.

 _'He looked at me as if nothing in the world doesn't matter anymore..._ ' she remembered Dash said to his posse.

That got some of the student body to look at him warily, seeing any signs that he might or might not have suicide tendency or something similar. It would seem the rumor escalated enough that his sister Jazz heard it, because the last time Sam saw her, she was intently reading  _'You Can Heal Your Heart'_  and _'Mindful Way through Child Depression'_  in the library.

And yes, she was reading two books at the same time.

He had come back up if him laughing at a joke Tucker made was any sign, but that didn't stop the weirdness of Danny Fenton.

There was a rise of slipped up of a few lab tools that Danny was now banned from handling any breakable item, he would stumble and fall more often, and there was a few... pants incident that Sam was beginning to feel bad for laughing at him. Her eyes would sometimes search for him only when she met the pair of familiar baby blue eyes, she would blink, and he would be gone right after. The vice-versa also happened.

Sam thought it had been a trick of the light, but lately, it's been repeating a few times, she felt like she was beginning to hallucinate him. How Sam got to that point, she had no idea.

 _'Does this mean I like him? I've read symptoms come with butterflies on the stomach, not hallucinations!_ ' She mentally wailed. She doesn't even know what part the blue-eyed dweeb has that was attractive to her.

"Miss Manson is there a problem?" she blinked and looked up to Mr. Lancer and she adopted a grin to reassure him. She was in his vice principal's office to expressed the new petition she had in mind.

"Nothing Mr. Lancer, so has the teachers finally agreed?"

"Hmm, it's an interesting proposal, and we had taken our time to consider it, and after your  _relentless_ persuasion on the matter, we have decided to accept your proposal in appreciation of our students who has the same dietary as yours," Mr. Lancer smoothly answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Lancer, it means so much to me that you're willing to give this menu a chance." Sam smiled sweetly at him before taking my bag and go home for the rest of the day, but just as he went outside, she bumped into none other the boy in her mind.

His all too familiar blue eyes looked up to meet with her own violet one, and he pushed back a yelp that almost crawled out of his mouth.

"Heeeey Sam"

"Hey yourself."

Then there was silence. The other didn't back away, but neither had anything to share. The two teens weren't close, yet neither were they willing to leave without making a proper conversation. Sam wasn't much of a talker, her friends were, she usually just go along and agree with them unless it was something incredibly stupid. Danny was having weak knee talking to Sam again, especially after the Incident. The last thing he wanted was for his crush to find out he became the embodiment of freak.

'Come on, Fenton, say something!' Danny mentally berated himself.

"I..." yet the universe seemed intent to not give him a chance when he felt cold tingle sensation down his chest and covered his mouth before he breathed out a mist. On cue, a giant green spider crawled across the school's ceiling and making a hissing motion at Danny before disappearing at the next corner, "...need to go and get those papers Mr. Lancer ask me to so see ya, Sam!" Danny then took off, running like his life depended on it.

Sam stood, staring at his back befuddled.

Danny, on the other hand, looked left and right after turning from a corner and reached out for the cold core that held his other half. "All right, I'm going ghost!" It was a little embarrassing having a battle cry, but it helps him concentrate when reaching for his ghost half. Since he can easily get distracted without it, it helps him much more than you think.

He felt the wash of foreign energy coming from his core as bright circular white light formed and moving to the opposite side vertically, out to reveal his ghost form. He didn't need to think where his ghost-sense told him to fly, only to hesitate at the last moment when he followed it to-

"The girls' locker room, I would try to say something about decency but hey, duty calls!" With a smirk, he went through the door and found the spider stashing himself under the buried girl's underwear it collected.

"Dude, don't you have lady spiders to go out with rather than cooped up with ladies underwear because... you look like a creepy crawler."

Whether the ghost understood him or not, it didn't matter with Danny ready to intercept it by going down through the floor and re-emerge to give a hard punch from below, followed it up by a kick to the side. He had to thank Tucker next time he sees him because Danny was barely able to float steadily if he didn't urge him to practice it rather than ignoring. Tuck kept insisting it was cool, like having a superpower instead of the thought of becoming the ban of existence according to his parents, that finally convinced him to practice using it.

Danny quickly grabbed three of its eight legs and pulled him out of the school toward his home with over 80 mph speed.

The spider ghost was too overwhelmed from the rushing wind to retaliate and felt the harsh tiled floor of a familiar basement he first crawled in. Danny opened the portal and kicked it back to where it came from. "So long Web-head!" And with a last farewell, the spider was pushed back into the zone.

"Sheesh, first those ectopuses, and now this, I better tell dad to fix the portal door so not just any ghost could come through," said Danny, turning intangible, "the last thing I want is to become some kind of ghost pest control." With those last thought, Danny flew back to school.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"I'm so excited about the new Charlie's Angel movie this week, it's such a badass movie" Paulina squealed at her two friends as they walk across the hall.

"I'm excited for the new cafe 'Moris' opening this week," Star said with just as much excitement.

"Well, I'm excited about this week's issue of Popular Girl Magazine" Paulina added as an afterthought.

"And I'm excited..."

"GIRLS!" Sam cut in between the two, "I know you two are excited about a lot of things going on this week, but please can we talk about something else? Preferably, something that matters."

"What, like World Hunger or Global Warming?" Paulina scoffed, rolling her eyes at the thought, Sam wanted to say 'exactly' when she was cut off by her. "Puh-lease, they are mainstream topic and so old news, really Sammy you should really try being up to date with the newest trend."

Sam would have screamed her voice out then and there at her if Star didn't notice her change of mood and soothly rubbed her shoulder so they wouldn't get into another bout at the middle of the hallway.

Mentally she counted number to 5 before exhaling and giving her best kept serene smile, "Apparently though  _Paulina,"_ she said her name in a mocking tone, raising an eyebrow and a faint scowl from the said girl, "you don't seem to be 'up to date.'" Sam wiggled her two fingers of each arm to air quote, "If you don't know what I'm excited about this week"

"You? Excited?" Paulina turned around to face her, "You certainly have my attention, Sam, now spill!"

Sam's eyebrow twitched at the bossy tone Paulina knew she never liked, she held her smile from smirking though. With 14 years of experience putting up a smile on business parties, faking a smile is almost like her own superpower. "About the new menu the cafeteria decided to try off course," Sam chirpily said.

That got both girls stopped short from their walk and looked at Sam with dawning dread. They both already know the kind of diet Sam adopts. "Sam..." Star nervously said, "What did you do?"

"Oh, only suggest this new menu I thought off for the school board," she nonchalantly stated while examining her nails. "I wore them down eventually."

When lunch finally came to the nervous duo and the only excited person for lunch today. They found the school had erected an 'Ultra-Recylo Vegetarian Week.'

Their eyes laid a little longer at the word 'week' of a banner tied across the cafeteria's wall.

Then even longer, to the point, Sam thought they were in denial, at the row of food that strangely looked like mud and grass.

Yes, they were in denial.

Paulina gritted her teeth and furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to Sam with rage, "You...you did this!" Had she not been in the middle of the school, she would have shrieked at her that would make any normal person wish for deafness.

"Yes, I gave you the chance to eat food that will give make your skin glow, lessen oil on your face, and erase wrinkles. You're welcome," she listed off its function that calm Paulina's ire faster than water could extinguish fire. "Not that I'm implying wrinkle, but you will if you keep scowling or is my kind of food too much for you to swallow?"

"I...you...but..." Paulina couldn't find the right words to counter, nor can she back down from a change, especially not if it's from Sam. She made one last to the girl before setting off, took a Grass Bread, and marched off to her table.

Star only quietly watched the exchange before shaking her head at their antics, "You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

For the first time in a while, her smile was genuine, "What makes you say that?"

Meanwhile, waiting in line for their 'lunch' to be served. Danny and Tucker were staring in disbelief at their lunch, if you could even call it that, with a moment of the same denial as Paulina and Star had when they first saw it.

"Is...is this grass on a bun?" Danny asked, unsurely to his best friend.

"I'll tell you what this is...this is garbage! Why had the school let something this despicable?!" Tucker wailed dramatically.

Danny rolled his eyes at his antics and sat on his chair across from him at the 'loser' table. "Don't be over-dramatic Tuck, I heard Sam talked to Lancer once about putting up an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian food since she is one." It was purely accidental on his part though. While his abilities are sealed in his human formed, one or two would randomly pop up, including super-hearing, and he had overheard the talk between Sam and Lancer the last day.

"A... what now?"

"She doesn't eat anything with a face on it." Danny eyed his 'food' critically before deciding not to invest his taste bud on it, "although, I must admit this is taking a bit too far to pushed other to eat her own diet."

"She's pushing us to eat garbage, Danny! It's not taking a 'bit' far, it's extreme! Tucker also eyed his own plate of garbage before glancing up at the popular table where Sam had no problem eating the stuff, causing him to glare at her before widening his eyes when he smelled meat somewhere close by as Lancer marched up toward the student responsible on the changed menu.

"Ah, Miss Manson. The school board wanted me to personally thank you for ushering in this welcome experiment to our cafeteria." Mr. Lancer complimented her.

Sam held her chin up in a proud state.

Paulina only glared at the girl, stabbing the bun with her fork, Star, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, "Mr. Lancer, since today was supposed to be meat buffet, what happened to all the meat?" Star asked curiously.

"Oh, we have made a special arrangement for that," said Mr. Lancer with a mysterious tone. "We certainly didn't make an all-new steak buffet in the Teacher's Lounge like the rumor says because that is completely untrue."

He was oddly specific about it, though.

"Thanks again," said Mr. Lancer, grabbing a toothpick and began picking his teeth before sauntering away.

"Yeah, thanks, Sam," the two girls sitting across her said, an obvious sarcastic note in their tone. Sam only kept her default smile, not trusting herself, not dissolving it into a smirk.

"FENTOOOON!" all eyes began to move toward the source of familiar voice belong to King of Casper High, Dash Baxter. Stomping up to one of the loser's table with a menacing step, his expression was indignant. The cafeteria became quiet from the anticipation from the familiar Dash bashing on Freak Fenton.

"I ordered three mud pies, and did you know what they gave me? Three. Mud. Pies. With mud!"

"Hey, don't blame him," said Tucker, pointing his finger at Sam, " _She's_ the one that changed the menu!"

Sam raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Yeah, but unlike you two," Dash point to Sam, "She's popular," then grabbed Danny shirt, easily lifting him up, "You're not. So I'm going to shove all my problems on you for my downhill from my glory days ever since I started high school!"

Sam glanced away in disinterest at the confrontation. She felt terrible for Danny that Dash was on his case because of her, but she's not apologizing for that. She wasn't in the wrong for pushing in the new menu, and she wasn't going to apologize on letting the school try new things.

The bullying had been something of a tradition in Casper High, she might not like it that the Nerd became the mercy of the A-lister nor is she keen in joining that particular 'tradition', another reason she like Star is because she's not keen on it either, but she has no obligation to stop it. It's a problem between those two anyway, so it's better not to get involved at all.

Dash threw Danny back to the table and shoved his platter of 'mud' in front of him, "Eat it!" He ordered. Danny compiled, expression turning scared as he took a spoonful of it to his mouth.

However, his expression then shifted ever so slightly. His face still told people around him he was scared, but it was for a different reason now that he felt his ghost sense acting up. His eyes looked around in instinct and found a green-skinned lunch lady floating about at the kitchen. Thinking quickly, he only got one course of action in mind.

"Uuh...GARBAGE FIGHT!" Everyone was left gawking at the bullied geek of the school throwing the mud pie at the  _jock's face._

Then...

...like a switch being flipped...

...all hell broke loose.

Soon, garbage after garbage...I meant...food were flying left and right hitting and missing on every kid in sight. Danny and Tucker quickly crouched down and used the moment of chaos to sneak in the kitchen. Almost out of ear reach, Danny moaned when he heard Dash yelling out his name.

Unknown to him, he grew the ire of one other person.

Sam Manson couldn't believe the nerve of that guy, she had thought Danny was a pretty decent guy, but not only did he call her food 'garbage' he dared to call out a food fight after all the trouble she took in organizing this!

Sam eyed angrily at the culprit's back and decided to stalk him to give him a piece of her mind. She followed him as he crawled to the kitchen, ignoring the chaos behind her, and she slammed open the door.

"DANNY FENTON, YOU ARE GOING TO PAY AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO _Ooooo._.." Her words trailed off when gazing past the horrid look the two boys shot her was an old woman in a lunch lady uniform, but that's not what left her speechless. No. What did was the fact she had green skin and was floating like...like...a ghost.

"Hello children," the old lady said, causing the two boys to turned and looked back at her, "Today's menu supposed to be meatloaf, but there's no meatloaf, did someone changed the menu?"

Tucker began to look deadpanned at the A list girl and pointed his finger at her "Yeah, she did."

Had she saw coming what the ghost was going to do, she would have strangled the Techno-geek at that moment. The Lunch Lady's eye began to glow red, green fire erupted around her, and she looked terrifyingly angry with her echoed scream. " _Yooouuu_  CHANGED THE MENU!"

The three of them gasped at the sight.

"THE MENU HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR 50 YEARS!" She roared as green nimbus appeared above her, "YOU DARE CHANGE THE MENU!"

Danny's expression turned from frightened to a determined, "Tucker go and get Sam out of here NOW!"

He didn't need to finish that sentenced before Tucker held Sam's arm and began pulling her out of the kitchen, "Way ahead of you!"

"Wait!" They were now running past the onslaught of Ultra-Recyclo vegetarian food, out of the cafeteria and began dashing through the corridor. "What about Danny, we can't just leave him there!"

"Uh...don't worry, you forgot he's the son of the two only ghost hunter in Amity Park, he can handle it...I hope" Tucker reassured her as the two were now running side by side.

Suddenly, the corridor lights began to flicker ominously before shorting out, stopping the two out of fear. Locker doors began slammed open and shotting out its content and moving like a whirlwind behind the Lunch Lady that suddenly appeared in front of them.

"NO PESKY CHILD COULD CHANGE THE MENU! LUNCH IS SACRED! LUNCH HAS RULES! Growled the Lunch Lady. Her expression then suddenly turned benign and began to smile at them as she held out a plate of pudding, "Anybody wants chocolate pudding?"

The Techno-geek and the Popular Girl numbly nodded at her, hoping it would calm her down.

They find out fast, it didn't.

"TOO BAD! CHILDREN WHO CHANGED THE MENU DON'T GET DESERT!"

"How about I give you your just desert!" Said an echoed voice as something slammed the Lunch Lady to the side, hitting the school's locker.

Sam couldn't help the gasp she let out as she gawked at another ghost floating before her. He wasn't like anything she's seen before, with hair as white as snow, glowing green eyes, tanned skinned and wearing a white and black hazmat suit. Everything about him screamed other-worldly.

"Are you two okay?" He asked while keeping his fighting pose toward the ghost.

Sam couldn't form words with her mouth flapping like a fish, but Tucker thankfully answered for the both of them, "We're both fine dude, you just came at the right time!"

He nodded in relief and turned his head back to the ghost just in time for her to float with piles of cooked sausages, T-bone, rib eyes, and various other meat dishes. Sam and Tucker had sneaking suspicion where she could have gotten that much meat as they both mutter the name "Lancer." It began to attach itself on her, forming a kind of meat monster.

"IT'S TIME YOU LEARN WHY MEAT IS THE BEST FOOD OF ALL!" She roared to Sam, "Cake?"

Sam mutely shook her head.

The Meaty Lunch Lady scowled and exploded in anger, "THEN PERISH!" She raised her one meaty hand and was about to smash her like a bug. However, Danny came right in time to take both her hand and Tucker's and turned them intangible to bring them down to safety.

"Wow, it worked! I...I mean...we'll be out of her hide for a while now."

Sam nodded in agreement before freezing and turning back toward the ghost boy.

She wasn't sure how to react, should she be scared that another ghost was with her right now? Or was she supposed to be glad someone, ghost or not, saved them from that Lunch Lady Ghost? Should we give in to her geek side and play 20 Questions with him instead? Because to reiterate her situation,  _there's a ghost in front of her!_

But then all that thought was put aside when Sam finally took a better look at their surroundings and stared flatly at the supernatural being, "You do realized you just send us down in storage room that store  _meat?_ "

The specter froze and began taking in the surrounding boxes that were labeled 'SHISH KEBAB,' 'BEEF SAUSAGES,' 'MUTTONS' and other meat parts that Danny thought would make Tucker drool, who to his dismay was hugging the boxes as if he had found his long lost soul mate.

Which is very bad news for both of them.

A cold sensation tingled his throat until a blue mist was breathed out, "Oh, crud."

On cue, the boxes began to shake vigorously before all the meat inside began floating and whirling around them like they were in the middle of a typhoon. The meat came together to form a giant hand and slapped the white-haired ghost away into the other side of the wall.

Sam and Tucker only stood and watched as their only lifeline disappeared on sight before being swept away by the mass of meat until they were buried neck deep in them.

She tried hard to escape, but she couldn't even wiggle out, "Agh, let me go, you stupid ghost!"

"Not me, I'm living in meat paradise!" Tucker exclaimed in happiness, eliciting a growl from the girl next to him.

"Not. Helping."

"Now, now sweetheart, that's not how you talk to an elderly," she cooed with her old grandmotherly smile. "You need to learn MANNERS! DISCIPLINE! AND RESPECT! YOU KNOW WHERE YOU GET THAT FROM? MEAT!" Her anger extinguished just as quickly as it came while she held up a drumstick and fish in each hand and asked with abrupt kindness, "Chicken or fish?"

"I like a knuckle sandwich if you don't mind," said a voice behind her followed by a tap, she turned only to have her face meeting a white-gloved fist, strong enough to push her away. "Or maybe I could offer you one instead!"

The Ghost Kid dash-or fly forward and using that momentum to make a clean right hook to the ghost that pushed her farther and harder.

Sam was star struck at the display before continuing to struggle out of the pile of meat, "Hey Nerd, do you think you could help us out of-- what are you doing?"

Sam turned to the side to find Tucker munching off the pile of meat entirely quickly, "What do you think? I'm getting us out of here and eat lunch because somebody has to change the menu."

She furrowed her eyes enough to make him think twice of his words. "Oh no, you're not pinning all this on me, Geek-Brain!" She growled, "besides, you're the one who told her about me changing it when we could have avoided getting chased by a bipolar ghost if you hadn't TOLD HER!"

"Well maybe if someone hadn't change the menu, she wouldn't be here in the first place!" Tucker retorted.

Their verbal fight was cut off when the Ghost Kid flew over them and harshly hit the wall, "Uuh guys, I'm a little busy fighting the ghost here so can you both take a rain check and GET OUT OF THERE!" Danny lifted himself up and went down through the floor, only to re-emerge to give a solid uppercut to the ghost.

"For a boy barely skin and bones, you pack a punch dearie" the Lunch Lady complement mildly.

"Wait, really? I've been working out with my powers and stuff, and I was wondering if I was getting any bett _UGH_!" Danny was cut off as a large chunk hit him in the gut hit him that sent him flying to the ceiling before he turned intangible in the last second.

Meanwhile, Tucker was able to eat his way out, and Sam would have followed him if her way out wasn't sealed back and the meat swept her away until she was facing the Lunch Lady once more. Only this time, she was high enough to touch the ceiling.

"Since you insist being such a stubborn child," the ghost began kindly. "Then its either you feed meat on yourself, or THE MEAT WILL FEAST ON YOU!"

Like quicksand, the meat began to pull her down. She flailed her free left arm and jerked her head up before the meat would suffocate her. She barely heard Tucker calling out to her when his voice was drowned by her own scream when she felt meat crawling up and covering her neck, head and slowly her face until only her left hand was left.

The Lunch Lady cruelly smile at her work, but then her meat began to rumble that soon the mountain of meat began to fall apart from an unknown source.

Off course, until it was revealed underneath that Danny had pushed away all the meat and was now holding Sam in bridal style. Sam was just glad she got to get out of that pile of meat and knew she was traumatized by it for a whole new reason now.

The Lunch Lady's surprised look turned to rage as she manipulated the meat to formed a bigger and meaner meat monster with a wall of meat behind her, ready to give them a barrage of meat missile that would surely hit them  _hard_. Danny decided the ghost was too much for him in a closed room full of meat and turned back quickly, grabbing Tucker on the way. The meat monster and its meat followed them from behind, and they were gaining...very..quickly, and Sam looked back to the front to find that she was heading straight into a wall. She clutched Danny more tightly and closed her eyes at the impending hurt she was going to feel. Instead, she felt her whole body tingle, and shortly after the force wind blowing on her stopped.

Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked a few times how she got outside then slapped herself, remembering the ghost could make others go through things. She then realized once more that she was alone, "Tucker? Ghost Boy?" With no one appearing, she decided to look around school for them before going home but immediately tossed that idea away at the thought of the Meat Ghost still haunting around the school. She wasn't sure she should leave without knowing how Danny and Tucker are after they tried to save her, but she should see how they're doing tomorrow. The last thing she wants is trying her luck into confronting again with the ghost alone.

Out of her sight, behind a corner. Danny and Tucker looked from behind her as she sauntered away from their position and the duo blew a sigh of relieve.

"Danny, not that I'm complaining, but why did you leave her alone like that? It was a perfect chance for you to woo her as her hero," Tucker said the last bit smugly.

"Because..." Danny let out an exhausted note, "...I can't... trust myself..." his eyes began to close as he finished off quietly, "...not to change in front of her." White ring formed on his midsection before turning back into human. Tucker quickly held his best friend before he could fall, but alas, the strength of one who got C in PE wasn't enough before the weight of an unconscious person held him down.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Danny opened his eye and was confronted by the familiar ceiling of his room and the worried eyes of his life long friend.

"Ha...huh? Wha...what happened?"

"You passed out dude, I was beginning to worry," Tucker said with a slight hitch in his voice, "you've been out for four days."

"Four DAYS!" Danny exclaimed, sitting upright.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you, it's only been a couple of hours," Tucker laughed it off. "Though you owe me big time, do you know how hard it was carrying my  _unconscious_ best mate home all the way from school?"

Danny laid himself back to bed with a ghost of a smirk, "You mean saving you from a psychotic ghost isn't enough for you?"

"Okay, good point," Tucker relented. "Though you wouldn't even need to if Little-Miss-I'm-a-Vegetarian didn't change the menu."

"Come on Tucker, no need to hold a grudge."

Tucker crossed his arm, "No way, Danny, I know you have a crush on her, but if there's one thing I agree with the ghost is that no one takes away the meat." Tucker narrowed his eyes in resolute, "and I'm going to get it back!" With that note Tucker dashed out of his room, preparing how to get it back.

Danny blinked at the antics of his friend before brushing it off. After all, it's not like things would get any worse from that.

**.**

**.**

**.**

' _Apparently...'_ thought Danny with a twitching eye, '... _yes, it can get worse.'_

Danny watched at the meat party held in front of the school. People were carrying steak-shaped balloon and watching grilled barbecue before it could be ready for them to feast on it. There was a crowd of protesters that were holding up signs that said 'Eat Meat!' Or 'Meat is Neat!' Or my personal favorite, 'Meat gives you butt!" While a stage that held up a banner saying 'National Meat Society Presents 'The Weinerettes'' which said Weinerettes were four hot-dog costumed girls. After they finished their dance, Tucker came up to the stage with a microphone on hand.

"What do we want?!" He cried out.

"MEAT!" the crowd answered.

"When do we want it?!"

"NOW!"

Danny was to say was impressed his friends got to hold a protest in one night, and a bit intimidated how much these people are serious about meat.

"Oh, he got a lot of nerve to do this," a voice heard from his side. Danny turned his head and almost yelp (again) when he found Sam was growling in fury. The usual polite smile she had on the school was nowhere to be found when she looked like she was ready to rip his head off.

If Danny knew Tucker's plan from the start, he should have stopped before Sam could destroy his social life at school. That's how much influence the A-lister had, but Danny had forgotten Tucker's love for meat was second to his love for technology. Though if he starts naming his meat, they're going to have a long talk about their friendship.

Tucker walked up to both of them, a sign that said 'Meat 4 Life' on hand. "Hello, Danny," Tucker said with a proud smile. "Hello Sam," he greeted her with a challenging smirk.

"Oh just ignore all that." Tucker pointed at the mass people of protesters, "They're just a few people I invited in joining my venture of returning the proper order of having meat in our lunches, quite a few people don't you think?"

If she wasn't angry before, the daggers Sam's eye sent was good enough message. She may have nonchalantly said she wore The school board, but it took a lot of time and effort for it, and this is her repay after expanding the school's culinary? Getting chased by a ghost and bringing protesters against her?! "So that's how you're going to play this, is it?" Sam whipped off her phone, punching a number without looking as she knew it from the back of her head. When the line connected, she put the phone beside her ear, "Hello Mark, yes would you be so kind gathering my vegan friends, and ready a stage if you can here...uh huh...uh huh...please and thank you."

Soon after the connection was cut, a truck came up with a crew of men, who began building a stage in the speed of light from the materials they brought, complete with a banner that said 'Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian Casper High.' Soon after, few more vans and cars came, and the other side of the yard was soon a crowd filled with hippies and veggie-lovers, many had a basket of fruits on their hands and flowers were around them. They were also holding up signs as well, such as 'It's easy being GREEN!' or 'Give peas a chance!' And my ultimate favorite 'POTATOES!'. They started chanting "VEGGIES NOW, VEGGIES FOREVER!" and looking at her fine work, Sam turned to the two boys that were gawking at her and shot them the same challenge smile Tucker made a few seconds ago.

"Okay, putting up a protest in one night is impressive enough," Danny said, "but did she just put up a protest in the span of five seconds?"

Technically it took at least five minutes, but hey, I'm just the Narrator, what do I know?

A blond boy came up and gave her a sign that said 'Meat is  _EVIL'_ Sam proudly took, "What? You think this is the first protest we vegans hold up then think again." The mean look and smirk she wore would have made Paulina proud. She then eyed the black haired boy, and a thought occurred to her when a mischievous glint gleam in her eyes

"In fact..." Sam pulled Danny's arm and hug it tight, "Danny here, of course, agrees with me right," she said as she batted her eyelashes at him and making him blushed.

That cause a furious glare from Tucker. This girl should have known Danny's crush on her, or at least knows that boys are weak-kneed in front of her and she dared to try using his best friend against him!

"Oh no, he's not..." Tucker marched to them and pulled Danny to his side. "Danny's only place is with me, and you're not getting your putrid green veggie-claw on him."

Sam's glare return as she pulled Danny once more to her side, "Well maybe he should spend some distance off from the remains of corpse design to be eaten by a heartless people like you!"

Somehow before he realized, Danny was caught in the middle tug-o-war between his best friend and his crush and Danny didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Guys, aren't you going a bit overboard over a cafeteria menu that will only last a week?" Danny tried to reason, hiding the tint of desperation in his voice nor the pain of having his arm strained.

"No choice, buddy! Either you're with me..." Tucker started.

"...or you're against him!" Sam finished.

"SO WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" the two yelled together.

Danny was about to groan when instead he let out a cold mist, and his face paled, he shot a warning look to Tucker, and immediately got the message when he let go of his best friend.

Then the harsh wind blew all around them that normal people would think it's an early warning of upcoming rain, but the sky that had been bright blue before changed to pale gray followed by an echoed sinister laugh that gave chills down to your spine. A rumbling from behind made the trio turned where they find a truck full of meat to gushed out...well...meat.

It circulated together until forming into the biggest meat monster anyone ever saw, or what Sam imagine would be if she lives long enough to tell the tale she had witnessed today.

"IT'S LUNCHTIME!" Thundered the meat monster.

People from both sides of the protest started screaming and running in fear.

And the meat monster... ghost... whatever it was, was looking right at Sam.

"Great, she's still trying to feed me," she couldn't help but snark despite the situation.

The ghost was going to reach out for her, but someone had pushed her away in time before she could suffer on the hands of the ghosts. She looked up and found her face with Danny Fenton, but he wasn't looking at her. His expression was a crossed between angry and determined as he eyed the ghost, and Sam couldn't help the blush she had as she eyed him carefully. She had only noticed Danny could be so... hot when he looked serious.

The ghost began trying to grab the two of them, but Danny had pulled her up and forced to hid between the trees, followed by Tucker. "Tuck, keep her safe, don't let the ghost see her! I'll go try to get help and distract her somehow."

Sam wasn't sure what came over her, but she quickly grabbed on to his hand, surprising him. "You can't just go there, you'll get killed by that monster or worse..." she shuddered, "GET FEED!"

"Girl, you need to set out your priorities" Tucker deadpanned at her.

Sam glared at him for a moment before switching back to him, "My point being that it's best to hide here together until someone like your parents came and handle it, why go risking yourself?!" She was late to realize it, but she came to care for the guy she only spent a short time like a friend. It was a weird kind of feeling she had compared with her other 'friends.' With him, she felt a lot more comfortable and accepting, so she didn't want to lose him.

To her surprised, Danny smiled and crouched low so they would see each other on the same eye level. "I'll be fine Sam," he said plainly as if it was the fact of the universe, "I won't do things I can't handle, I'll go there, drag its attention away from and keep you safe." Sam wanted to say more, but she cut him off, "I know what I'm doing Sam, I'm the son of the two ghost hunters remember? If anyone could handle a ghost until help arrives, it's me."

Sam was silent now that she doesn't have anything to argue back and what frustrates her more was that it was for her sake that he was risking himself. "Hey," she looked up to find the guy had the nerve to smile at her. He began scratching the back of his neck, a habit she noticed he would do when he was nervous, "If it makes you any better, I'll promise to show you that ghost portal in my basement that finally works since you think a working one would be cool and I don't break my promises"

Seeing him reassuring her, she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Cough, lovebirds." Three guesses who said that.

"WE'RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!" Said the two blushing teenagers. They looked at each other once more before Danny ran off, looking for a place to change while making sure drawing the ghost's attention away from Sam. She wanted to at least watched over him from afar, but Tucker forced to drag her away as they crawled through the bushes.

"I know you're worried about Danny, but since the ghost is after you, how about we go _away_ from the school?"

"Hey Tucker, was he...always this dependable?" Sam couldn't help but voice her thought out, "He's usually a lot more...I don't know...clumsy, silly, dorkish, invisible, absent-minded."

"Totally uncalled for but all true" Tucker admitted. "But once you get to know him, Danny is a lot more than what he seems."

That got Sam a bit interested in their history, and seeing her expression, Tucker was compelled to tell her. "Do you know why Dash always go after Danny?"

"No, I thought he goes after every nerd in this school."

"Haha, yeah, though I doubt Dash even remembers why but Danny his favorite punching bag because of you."

"Wait...me?" That was freaking news to her.

"Okay, indirectly but he said it was no big deal, but since you look genuinely interested with Danny, I thought you should know."

Tucker whispered beneath his breath things like ' _the things I do as his wingman'_ before he turned to face her and looking around a bit, confirming they were far enough from the schoolyard, before sitting down.

"Well Danny has always wanted to be the popular kid, I mean...what kid doesn't?" she raised an eyebrow at that but prompt him to continue, "Well, it happened in 8th grade..."

Before he could say anything else, The sound of rustling bushes was heard, and they turned to find themselves surrounded by meat soldier with glowing red eyes.

And they were staring right at Sam.

Tucker with the last act of bravery, shielded Sam and faced the meaty goons with determined eyes. "Stand back evildoers, or you will face the wrath of the Meat Connoisseur!"

That got the minions looked at one another before looking menacingly back, but Tucker didn't flinch and proceed to pull out a...knife and fork?

Sam was feeling too scandalous to even retort to his attempting 'saving,' but she was even more shocked the side of those two food utensils seemed to make them flinched, some also began backing off at the sight.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sam murmured flatly while she facepalmed herself.

Tucker om the other was wearing a smug smile, "That's right, you might be a ghost, but you're a meat ghost, try anything funny, and you'll end up in Foley's Cast Iron Stomach, guaranteed to melt you into poo!"

Unfortunately, his threat didn't apply to those facing behind him and snatched Sam's hand before she could protest anything, she was being floated tens of feet from the ground and was face to face with the Meat Monster Ghost.

"My dear child," the ghost started soothingly that only seemed to make Sam more tensed at the bi-polar ghost. "Why won't you eat meat? They're good for you, they make you healthy and grow faster with a smile."

"For your information lady, there's nothing healthy with that mass of fat and certainly nothing about eating food from murdering the lives of innocent animals could make me smile!"

In retrospect? Sam should have thought twice before agitating the old woman while dangling a few feets up the ground. She began to regret what she said when her meaty face growled darkly at her. The A-Lister girl looked down at her left where she saw Tucker in the middle of eating the now handless Meat Goons on the ground and staring at her horridly. She searched for any other person near who could help but couldn't even find Danny Fenton.

At first, she was pissed that the boy would disappear now of all times. He said he would help her but Danny was nowhere in sight, Sam briefly thought he had high tailed it out of here. Then her anger turned to concern at the image of Danny was somehow injured and couldn't move.

"I see you won't be eating meat no matter what," the Lunch Lady evenly and calmly, too calmly in fact. "THEN FALL TO YOUR DOOM!"

The meat minion let go of her and Sam went falling.

Time went by only a second, two seconds tops. Yet those seconds felt like hours as everything slowed down around her when she was seconds away from death. She thought how short her life was, about her parents and how devastated they would feel and how she wished she could find a guy she could share her first kiss. Despite what she said to Paulina about her unneeded attention from guys and how stupid they are that the Hispanic girl would sometimes mock her for being gay, she wanted to at least know what it felt to fall in love just like any other girl.

Just as fast as those thoughts went by, she then felt a tugging sensation that lifted her until she couldn't felt her own weight. She wanted to look at what happened but realize she had her eyes closed and was too shocked to realize it.

The first thing she noticed when she did was white. White snowy hair, one she was familiar with. She blinked, and this time she noticed the guy's tanned skin, his glowing green eyes, then the fact she was being held from falling to her doom, as the Lunch Lady had said.

"NO, SOUP ISN'T ON TODAY'S MENU!" the Meat Ghost wailed, and Sam found why she said it when the Ghost Boy was holding a thermos.

"I'm changing the menu, PERMANENTLY!" he aimed the thermos toward the ghost, and the end began to light up until a blue light beam hit the ghost. A hint mixture of desperation and hope on his face when the thermos started working. The ghost wailed in pain as it was being pulled against its will until she was sucked into it. Sam had to take a minute or two for her to digest all that and confirm that yes... a lump of giant meat covering the lunch lady ghost was sucked into a thermos.

Sam decided to question her sanity later.

She felt the comfort of the earth under her feet, and she felt the tense muscle in her relaxed. However, now that the ghost in her mind is here, she's not letting him leave without at least one answer.

"Thank you for saving me...twice but who...are you?" Sam asked her savior.

The boy looked unsure of what to answer her and blurt out the first thing in mind, "I'm F...Ph...Phentom"

"Phantom?" Sam unsure she heard right.

"Yes!" Danny acknowledged the name.

"Danny!" Tucker called out as he ran toward them.

"Yes!" Danny replied only to almost cursed himself but managed to cover his mouth in time.

Sam turned from Tucker to the ghost in suspicion, "Danny?"

Danny made a brief glare that only Tucker caught, who made an apologizing gesture. Danny then turned back to Sam, adopting a nervous grin and tried to play it off, "Yeah, I'm Danny, Danny Phantom." He desperately reasoned his name to what it is. "Don't mix my name with that Fenton kid though, but tell him thanks for the thermos, and that it works fine," said the new dub 'Danny Phantom' while giving the thermos to Tucker.

"That's right! Where's Danny...I mean...the other Danny...I mean...Fenton?!"

"Wow, wow, relax." Danny calmed her by holding down her shoulder. "He's fine, I pulled him out before he got hurt any further. In fact, you should check on him. Better yet, go exchange number, he might heal up faster that wa--"

Danny cut himself short when his heighten senses caught a mechanical voice saying 'A ghost is near.'

"You know what, I need to go now," and with that, he turned invisible that caught Sam by surprise. From the other side where Tucker had emerged, Danny was seen rushing toward and out of breath at the same time the Fentons came with some kind of ghost tracker on hand.

'Ghost directly ahead' said the machine, 'You must be a moron to not notice a ghost directly ahead.'

"Uh, you just missed him, Dad, he already left" Danny quickly supplied while jerking his thumb to a random direction.

"WE GOT A RUNNER!" Jack yelled before he and his wife ran toward wherever they thought the ghost run to.

Jazz slowly followed after them, using every will she had to ignore the stain and meat all over her, and shooting an annoyed look at her parents, "Great, back to square one...and back to fixing my hair."

Sam was not used to the quick pace scenes that she was speechless throughout the exchange. Danny turned to her and began feeling restless, "Uh Sam, I know I said I tried getting its attention, what I mean is, I'm sorry you still got caught and..."

"Danny, it's fine," Sam cut him off gently. "I know you tried your best but let's face it, we're human, a teenager at that. We don't have a chance against those kinds of monsters but thanks for trying anyway, I appreciate it" at some point Danny had winced from that statement, but she didn't take note of it.

They both smiled at one another until a loud cough coming from the geek in glasses while rattling the thermos. Danny made a sheepish grin before slowly backing away along with Tuck, "I'm glad to know you're fine, but since the ghost is gone, we better go to..."

"...face your punishment" Mr. Lancer drawled as he kept the two boys in place with a firm grip on their shoulder. "And it'll be worst that you two could imagine if you don't explain why Danny Fenton, you decided to trash the school's cafeteria yesterday and Tucker Foley for setting up a protest that left the schoolyard in ruin."

The two boys looked at one another with a growing dread on their face, "Oh man..." they said together.

**.**

**.**

**.**

With the sun was setting and night came, Casper High is silent and empty out of all students and teacher as they went home for the night. However, today was a bit different as you can see, two boys were cleaning up sprawled meat from the aftermath from the ghost fight across the yard with their English teacher and one jock supervising them.

"This is going to be a regular thing, isn't it?" Tucker asked which was an obviously rhetorical question.

"Fighting ghost and get the short end of the stick? Pretty much," Danny answered with his own rhetorical answer, yet Tucker noticed the slight grin he had when answering. "Then again, at least now I know what my powers are for, they made me...different, a good different...and I could use it to help people...to do good." Danny eyed the thermos on his back pocket with a thoughtful look, "and I doubt this will be the last ghost we'll come across so...are you in?" He asked Tucker expectantly.

Danny tried to hide his fear in tone on the off chance Tucker might think it's all too much for the Techno-geek. Tucker notice it anyway, and he would have shaken him in exasperation at the little faith his brother-in-all-but-blood gave him. True that today was scary, but it's not like it was him that had to fight the ghost directly. He had witnessed the struggle Danny had to go through when he first got it, and that time he wanted nothing more but to get rid of it.

He had no problem turning his friend back to normal if that was what he truly wanted. Frankly, he was even scared when he first found his friend turned into a creature with white hair and glowing green eyes, looking so inhuman and that he might have lost his best friend the day of the Incident. However, Tucker didn't want him to be depressed or scared all the time so he had to bring out the wonder of his power and he never lied when he said how cool it was to have it. Like the flying part he knew Danny would love, and the peeping potential his power was capable of.

I reiterate they're in their hormonal teenager stage, don't judge.

Now though, the stakes are heightened. Danny isn't just accepting his power anymore, he decided to use it. There'll be kicking butt, thwarting evil plots, fighting side by side, and possibly saving a few damsels in distress.

Heck yeah, he's in!

Tucker gave him a wide grin and raised his fist, "Dude, what are brothers for?" The smile Danny had matched his own as they bump fist together.

"Gentlemen, I don't see your hand moving!" Mr. Lancer called out with his megaphone, prompting the two to pick up the pace in getting all the meat in the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the originality still lacks, I'm still testing the water, but I promise there'll be surprises in the future.
> 
> Not to mention, there'll be a whole new story with an entire new ghost next chapter.
> 
> In this chapter, I'll admit I put in some quotes I couldn't resist using. You could also see the indifference side Sam had from hanging out with the A-lister and the manipulative side of Sam since she's not used to being straight and open about what she wants so instead she make sure others get it for her. It's also why Danny's selflessness baffled her since she lived in a world surrounded by people that live the principle of Give-and-Gain and people never wanting to involve themselves with troubles that has nothing to do with them.
> 
> Also, I like to point out that in Memory Blank episode, where Danny first got his DP symbol. We saw Dash trying to cram up 4 nerds in a locker and even though Danny was in front of him, he instead asked Kwan to get Mikey. It would imply that the cause of Dash bullying Danny was triggered by Sam which is why I made an interesting subject between Tucker and Sam's conversation. Sadly it was cut off, but it will be revealed in the future. I don't know how that goes in canon, but I'm making my own cause of effect.
> 
> Do feel free to speculate, I'm curious how you would think of this.
> 
> What's more, I believe, this is how Danny got his alter ego's name. I mean, most of the phandom think the name was stupid on how it didn't hide how similar it was to his real name so it's more likely he got it by accident instead and the name got stuck after a while
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Kudos and reviews please, I'm a sucker for them :)


	3. Playing House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My first original DP ep fic in my rewrite.

They say seeing is believing. 

Well, Sam still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The last time she set foot in this labs, she was making empty wishes to herself that she would get to see an interdimensional portal opening to the unknown before her very eyes.

Now, witnessing the swirling green vortex opening to a dimension where the embodiments of post-human consciousness were said to live is a wonder she never thought she lived to see. The secretly Supernatural-geek was mesmerized with her own thoughts for a minute before realizing she wasn't alone and turned toward the two boys just a few steps behind her. Clearing her throat at the same time as her own reverie.

"I'm guessing this is the portal where that ghost came out of," Sam tried filling the silence.

"Yup, the door keeps opening whenever a ghost come near it, so I was thinking of getting Dad to install some kind of lock system to the door," said Danny as pushed the button for the door to close. Shutting the swirling green vortex out of sight. Sam almost let out a whine like a puppy when she was cut off seeing that green beauty and what might be in store there.

' _Down Manson, you wouldn't want to try your luck in there only to be threatened by ghost again.'_

 _"_ By the by, how did your parents react when they saw the portal work?" Sam curiously asked.

"Oh, they were absolutely thrilled when they found their portal worked that Mom's cooking was edible and dead for once, and Dad actually  _shared_ his fudge stock to Jazz and me, and I'm not lowballing when I saw Dad took his fudge very seriously," Danny answered for her. "Though they began to ignore us over their work for the rest of the week or two," he ended it as if it was a side note. Danny was already used to their quirks in ignoring them when they were obsessed at making some new invention involving ghost, so he didn't take it to heart.

"They must have been thrilled that you were the one that got the portal to work," Sam noted.

That got an awkward silence from the duo, where they nervously glanced at one another and breathed out a forced laughed.

Sam quickly read their gesture, and her eyes widen, "Wait, they don't know you activated the portal?" And that didn't make much sense to her because surely if he claims to fix it, they would be proud and happy to have him and who wouldn't want to make their parent's proud of themselves?

As that thought briefly crossed her mind, she was watching close toward the two boys. She admitted it was interesting seeing them communicating with only side glances and the slight a tilt of their head, she had previously thought no one could do that in real life.

"We were...pre-occupied with...stuff in life" Tucker lamely answered. Danny must have thought so too if the glare was any more telling. After all, they were busy handling Danny's life-or half-life-crisis when he got those powers. The only other person who knew they got the portal open was Jazz, and that's because she's smart and Danny was a lousy liar.

Sam slightly looked back at the portal, and she was borderline desperate in getting another peek at it. Maybe someday, exploring this so-called World of the Afterlife first hand if she wished.

A bright idea dawned on her as she recounted Tucker's story about Danny wanting to be popular. He couldn't finish his story before being interrupted by meat monster goon. She was immensely curious how the story goes, but she can ask Tucker any day.

For now.

"So... Danny, you don't mind me inviting a few of my friends on a little 'get together' here, do you?" Sam said with those upturned amethyst eyes on Danny, "maybe even showing around the basement lab?"

Danny gulped, feeling the hopeful gaze Sam was giving, and he would have compiled to her wish without a second thought if Tucker wasn't there to snap him out.

Unlike Danny, Tucker wasn't fooled by 'Miss Perfect's' cutesy act and he never will. Tucker likes girls in general, but after the Meat Ghost Debacle a couple of days ago where Sam-flipping-Mason did the cruel act of getting rid of meat in the cafeteria menu. She should be glad Danny has a crush on her, or he wouldn't even give her the time of day.

"Sorry Sam, but Danny's parents are pretty strict on who goes in and out the basement lab, you just happened to be lucky that they like you." Tucker pointed his finger with a glare.

An amused smile crossed Sam's face before turning into a scowl. Sam find it refreshing that there was a guy, who was hostile to her, other than the usual jealous girls, or boys that looked at her with goggling eyes. Especially when she tried a little flirting with Danny and his protective strike would come out.

She still has a grudge that he had made a protest against her.

"I'm sure Danny can think of something," Sam said, "After all, my friends would definitely think it's  _cool_  when looking at a working ghost portal."

Tucker glared harder, catching her attention and made her purse her lips in annoyance, he was about to refute her once more when Danny had cut in on him. "Sorry Sam," he said, slightly apologetic, "but Tucker's right, the lab is more dangerous than it looks and I can't watch over a group of people not to touch anything they shouldn't and get themselves hurt."

Tucker smiled and nudged him to the side, "Guess you aren't as brain dead as I thought," he whispered that brought Danny to nudge back.

Sam wasn't satisfied, but she relented to Danny's point. The A-lister didn't want her selfishness to cause a scene in the end.

Danny felt the cold sensation in his chest, and cold mist blew out from his mouth. He hastily turned back to Sam with a forced smile on his face, "You know what? Maybe I should ask my parents and see if we could arrange that!" He began pushing her up the stairs, much to her confusion. "I know they'll love boasting ghost to anyone so can you do me a favor and call out my parents so we could ask together? They probably working on another ghost-catching device while they make dinner."

Sam was already halfway up the stairs when he had finished saying it, while she had no problem doing what he said, there was a little suspicious about this sudden change of heart.

"O...kay, I guess I can do that." For now, she let the matter go since it doesn't matter much. It's not like she was his best friend who he could tell anything and everything for advice and support.

Once she walked up to the stairs on her own, Danny's expression turned solemn, dashing back down to the lab and skid into a stop in front of the portal, he cried out his battle cry.

"GOING GHOST!"

White bright rings around the teen before revealing the Halfa, Danny Phantom while Tucker stood back around the stair to warn off any newcomer.

The portal door opened, and out of it came was... a baby?

Danny stood still in shock. He was expecting maybe a human ghost with tentacles beard, a murderous talking skeleton, or just plain-old zombie ghost. Instead, he found himself facing a pale white skinned baby with a bluish tint, blond curly hair, bright round green eyes, wearing a diaper, and rattling a baby rattler on hand, laughing and giggling even with a pacifier on his mouth.

"D'aaaaaww, where did you come from little fella?" Danny walked forward and lifted him in his arm, "Did you get lost? Huh, did you? Did you?"

"Huh, and I thought all ghost are trouble," Tucker began to say, "he's just the smallest cutest harmless little thing, no way he could hurt us."

When Danny was cooing him right on his face, the baby cutie face shifted into a scowl, followed by an animalistic growl. His eyes, his whole eyeball, turned bright glowing red and did his teeth looked a tad bit sharper or is it just me?

If the baby snapping at Danny's face were any indication, I'd say he did. Danny had already thrown the baby away in panic, and instead of hitting the floor, he had floated sinisterly. Looking downright scary for a small harmless looking ghost.

"Hey! Even though he's a ghost, he's still a baby ghost, how hard can it be?" Tucker tried to be optimistic.

The baby rattled its rattler, and it shone, seemingly causing the ghost to grew bigger and bigger until its head had reached the ceiling, his step cause tremor, and its body occupying half the lab's space.

"For the record Tucker, I blame you," Danny flatly stated.

With a swing of his now giant rattler, the ghost swung it toward the halfa. Tucker moved aside while Danny flew over to dodge. The baby didn't stop there as he moved its rattler to the left, right, below once more, and above, trying to swat Danny like a bug.

**-Meanwhile upstairs-**

Sam walked up to find that just as Danny said, his parents were working on... something...

Jack Fenton was soldering the main circuit board while Ms. Fenton was blowtorch a device that shaped like a hair dryer but has something like a satellite dish at the tip, at the same time she was cooking...another something.

"Ms. Fenton, what are you doing?"

"Why I'm making my homemade Beef Wellington, you're welcome to stay to eat if you want Sam." Maddie offered sweetly.

Sam was about to correct her that she wasn't talking about the food, but then remembered how Mr. Fenton had given her a two-hour long lecture about ghost and his inventions that she wasn't even sure if the cost was worth the knowledge. She was more concern at the green food of the so-called 'beef' Ms. Fenton told her.

Unfortunately, she was going to listen to him either way.

"It's done, WE'VE DONE IT! SAM COME SEE THIS!" Jack happily exclaimed.

"I...I'm good Mr. Fen..."

"Nonsense, sit here so I can ramble you about our newest work." With that said, Jack pulled Sam into sitting the chair right next to the machine. "This baby here can detect ghost a mile away and will use its own ectoplasm to electrify it, I call it...THE FENTON ECTO-ELECTRIFRYER! Here, watch this!" Sam then witness Jack pushed the trigger, the satellite disk whirled into life, then two grappling claw shoot out from the sides. It flayed wildly around the kitchen that Sam went under the table for cover. The end of those grappling hooks then twirl and dig its way to the floor at the same time they felt a tremoring BOOM.

That got the three of them to blink at each other before shooting a glare at the male Fenton in the room.

**-Back to the basement-**

Danny soared through the lab with fast agility, dodging left and right of the baby's many swiped. He needed to finish this quickly before Sam and his parents go down the lab. The Ghost Boy ducked another swiped before kicking the baby in the chin. The ghost staggered back, but he wasn't going down; instead, the baby became angrier as he started hitting everything in sight.

"Wow, no need to throw a tantrum there!"

That seemed to catch the baby's attention  _and_ made him angrier, the ghost aimed his rattler at Danny, and the tip started glowing but was interrupted by the sudden number of grappling claws bursting through the ceiling then attaching to him. The baby felt the shock coursing through its entire body, screaming out a piercing cry that got the boys cringing.

Danny had to be happy their parents made the basement soundproof or else the whole block would have heard it.

Having been weakened, the baby turned smaller as the size it had initially been, and Danny used this chance to grab the diaper, "I think it's time for the baby to get a shut eye, don't you think?" Then threw him harshly back to the Ghost Zone with a wave of goodbye, "Nighty night, don't let the bed's bug bite!"

Unseen by him was that the baby's pacifier had fallen halfway and fell inside Sam's backpack, glowing a dark green.

Just in time, Tucker heard the sound of footsteps coming down and quickly warned Danny about it. Transforming him from Phantom to Fenton.

However, our hero then took another good look at the lab; beakers were crashed, cracks on wall and floor, some table was broken in half, a dangling grappling claw out of nowhere hanging on top. Danny didn't even have time to panic until his parents and Sam look at the same scene before glaring at him for an explanation.

' _Well, this sucks...'_

**. . .**

Sam got home later than she expected, but it's not every day she got to watch Danny explained a ghost appearing and he randomly threw everything in sight out of panic until it flew away. That caused a long lecture from his parents about confronting a ghost without supervision (Additionally, watching a cooked beef crawling out of the kitchen but she thought she was seeing things since no one bat an eyelash). That, and the scowl her parents had when they saw her home.

"Young Lady, where had you been all day?" Jeremy Manson asked sternly.

Sam winced a bit at the tone, but she can't look guilty. Looking guilty means proving she was in the wrong, "I've been invited to a friend's house and hang around for a while that I lost track of time, I'm sorry I didn't text you I'd be late Mother, Father."

Jeremy scowl softened when he knew her daughter knew what part she was in the wrong, but Pamela began to prod another issue.

"And who is this  _friend_ of yours that you forgot to contact us, Samantha? It's not a boy, is it?" She asked cautiously.

Sam gulped, her eyes darting left and right unwillingly and her lips pursed. It was a small reaction, but her parents caught and Sam didn't have time to lie.

"It  _is_ a boy isn't?! Who is it? What's his name? How did you meet? What does his parents do?" Pamela had marched closer to her daughter, and Sam noticed the crazed eyes she was about to shot her.

"Mom! Please, he's just a friend!"

Jeremy had pulled her wife a bit back to calmed down, "Sweetie, give Sam some breathing room to explained, it's not like she did something wrong, so don't look so mad." Jeremy began rubbing her back in circle before curiously raising an eyebrow to her daughter, "I'm curious as well who's the boy that made you forget to call us for the first time, you're usually eager to go home early."

Sam blinked as she thought about his words, never realizing it until he pointed out. As her father said, she usually tried getting home early because she wasn't too keen staying out too late with her friends and being snobby about themselves.

Plus, there's the fact she couldn't miss an episode of  _Supernatural._

 _"_ His name is Danny, and he's just a kid I came to know after working on a project together, and his parents are... researchers."

' _Yeah, researching ghost.'_

Her parents clearly found her answer acceptable, and Pamela finally reigned her emotion in and gain back her bearing. "Well, if that's all he is then I won't have anything to worry once we go to that Business Congress we got invited."

"Wait... you're leaving? For how long?"

"Oh, a week or two maybe, Europe is a big continent, and Spain is said to be a nice place this time of year."

"Europe?! Spain?!" Her tone went higher by the second, first time hearing about this.

"Don't hang your mouth open Sam, that's unbecoming of you," scolded Pamela, "we'll leave this house to you and Grandma Ida, so I expect you to be at your utmost behavior at all times even when we're not here."

Sam closed her mouth as she was told until a question occur in her thoughts, "When will you be leaving?"

"Tonight actually," Jeremy responded evenly, it was only then that Sam noticed the large-size baggage behind her parents, "As a matter of fact, we were about to leave right now." With that said, they had their butlers and maids brought their suits to the car, leaving Sam looking at them incredulously but silently threw her hand in the air because ' _What else is new?_ '

Her mother rolled down her window and gave her a blow kiss, "Bye, Sammy, love you."

"Be safe and love you-" the black limo dashed forward, leaving Sam waving at thin air, "-too." She blew a sigh as she marched on to her room, not noticing the pacifier glowing green once more in her bag.

**. . .**

When Sam woke up the next morning, she expected a few things. Her alarm loudly waking her, her maids shooking her up, her mother's cheery voice waking her.

Waking up to find a baby giggling at you is the last thing she would have expected.

"GAH!" she jumped out of her bed in surprise, and that action surprised the baby and made him wail. Sam panicked, not sure what to do but react accordingly by lifting the baby up and cradling him in her arms. She had enough practice by babysitting her cousins on their much younger days, so she knew the few knacks in taking care of a baby.

It was when the baby continued giggling that she finally sighed in relief, but then realized she had a baby in her arms. A strange foreign baby that suddenly appear on her bed. Sam put the baby down then had her hands rest on her hips with a scowl, "Alright, listen up! I don't know who you are and how you got here so here's the deal; I'm going to report to the police about a 'sudden' appearance of a baby, you'll get put in an orphanage or whatever and then you'll...you'll..."

Sam began staring distractedly at the baby, who was giving cute giggling laughter then munching his arm as he rolled around the carpet floor on his back. His big round eyes looking at her expectantly and she didn't have the heart to say anything mean to him.

"You...you know what, maybe you can stay here before that, and I'll take care of..."

A knocked interrupted that thought, and she immediately knew it belonged to Grandma Ida, she was the only one in the house who knocks her door and respect her privacy. That, and she was the one who stashed all her secret stash of occult-themed stuff if she didn't want her maid to find it and report it to their masters.

"Sammy, it's time for school, are you awake yet?"

"Yes, Grandma I'm..." for the third time she couldn't finish her word when she looked straight at the teary-eyed of the baby, seemingly to expect her not to leave him all on his lonesome.

"I'm...not feeling well at the moment can I get a leave just for today?"

There was silence from the other side, but Grandma Ida relented, but there was a hint of suspicion that's something wasn't right in her tone, "All right, but call out to me or the maids if you need anything."

"I will!" Sam pulled the baby into her arms and cuddled it tightly on her bosom as if he was part of her family. She missed the wicked smile and the brief red flash in his eyes.

**. . .**

"All right, what gives? Why haven't we seen Sam, like, at all? Now I don't have anyone to annoy for the rest of the week, and it's been muddling my schedule," Paulina complained, her accent evident in her rant.

"I am getting worried since there's no news on her, should we go visit her?" Star voiced her worries.

Accidentally eavesdropping them as they walked past, Danny took note of Sam sudden absent right after her visit from his house and grew just as concern.

"Dude, do you think spending with your parents was too much for her?" Tucker asked.

"I can understand if my parents can be overwhelming, but that doesn't warrant her to skip school for a week, I'm getting kind of worried."

"You don't think it's a ghostly problem, do you?"

Danny didn't say anything as he thought of the possibility. Deciding that it's better safe than sorry, he told Tucker he would visit her after school. Off course Tucker was coming along, and so when school was over, they followed the direction to her house Tucker had on his PDA.

"Wait, how did you get her address beforehand?" Danny asked as they walked.

Tucker smiled smugly and boasted to his best friend, "I hacked the school system and got her home address."

"Can't we just, I don't know, ask the teacher since we're worried?"

"But Danny... where's the fun in that?" Tucker wiggled his eyebrow, "Besides, we got her address as long as that matters."

However, they both stopped their tracks when the house was in sight, finding Paulina and Star, both looking them in distaste. "Like, what are you two losers doing here?" Paulina asked without hiding her sneer.

Tucker and Danny looked at each other, not sure what to say at the two A-Lister. "We...came because Sam left her folder in Danny's room when she came to work on that English assignment Lancer gave us," Tucker answered.

"Wasn't that, like, a month ago?" Star pointed out suspiciously.

"WHICH we are bringing back today," Danny hastily added. He was breaking in cold sweat, talking to the two of the three hottest girls in school. Sure Paulina rivaled Sam in hotness, and it's any guy's dream to date either of them. However, if he had to pick, he would wish he could go out with Sam.

Star and Paulina share glances before turning back on them, "Fine," Paulina relented, "but do that after she put a time for us, we don't want people mistaken like we got here together with you two." With that sentiment, she and Star marched up the stairs and ring the doorbell.

The door opened with a creak, ominous green light shone through, and Danny's ghost sense went off. "Wait!" He called out, but they didn't catch it, and without wondering what kind of light it was they walked in, and the door closed from behind them without anyone pulling or closing it.

"So...ghost?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, ghost" with no one around Danny silently called out the icy foreign energy in his chest, believing, calling the ghostly power inside of him. When he opened his eyes, he knew without looking himself that he had turned to Phantom and shot through the air.

His plan at first was to turn intangible and shot past through the roof, but the strangest thing happened because Danny hit the roof, face first. He blinked as he processed what happened, then thinking the halfa wasn't channeling his power better. The Halfa tried again, but this time he just got a sorer nose.

"What happened?" Tucker furrowed his eyebrows, "Weren't you going to sneak inside?"

"I can't, whatever ghost in there it can somehow conjure some kind of ghost shield around the house."

"Looks like we're sneaking in the old fashion way." Out of nowhere, Tucker produced a sleek white gun shaped device with a hook attached at the tip and Danny's eyes narrowed.

"Where did you get that grappling hook?"

"Technically, it's the Fenton Grappling Hook, a grappling hook with the word Fenton on it. Your dad has a very nice set of toys," Tucker said with a grin.

"Yeah, as exciting that might be, how about we first try getting in through the front door. It's not like Paulina and Star could actually keep us out."

"Oh...man..." Tucker said dejectedly as he stashed the grappling hook back.

Danny chuckled and turned back into his human form. The two marched up to the door and rang the doorbell, just like how it was for the two A-list, the door was opened with no one to greet, the green light blinding them from seeing the interior.

The two walked in, squinting their eyes, but the scene they were greeted with was not what they were expecting. Because no ordinary house, wealthy or not, would have flying dishes and marching glasses for one. Not to mention other decorations like vases and figures floating and being wiped on its own, then there's the fact the walls were made of gold or at least painted as one, then the oddly dancing maids and butlers began to line themselves up to welcome them.

All in all, it was like a Disney musical come to life.

Without the singing.

Then the oldest butler, complete with gray hair and a monocle came forth and bowed, "Welcome Sir Danny, your wife has been waiting for your return."

That.

Got Danny's brain to stop.

He began digging his ear with his pinkie then turned to the butler once more, "I'm sorry, can you repeat that I didn't quite catch it."

"That Miss Samantha has been waiting for her husband to come home?" He repeated calmly.

Danny didn't say anything in response to that, all he did was stared...

_Stared..._

_Stared..._

_And stared_...

Until finally...

" _WHAT_?!" Danny bellowed in pure utter shock that any retort wasn't capable of forming in his mind.

He turned to Tucker to find some support and maybe an explanation, but then he took in his clothing, different and snazzy. His usual yellow shirt and baggy pants were replaced by a brown suit. His signature red beret hat was nowhere in sight, and his smile looked so unnatural.

"Tucker?" Danny called in worried at his friend. He looked down to himself and find he was wearing a dark blue suit himself.

"What are you standing around for my brother," Tucker said as he slapped his back, "Go see the love of your life! I can check out my nephew later."

"Love of my life? Nephew? Tucker what are you talking about, you're an only child, you can't have a nephew!" Danny was already on the verge, ripping his hair out if it could make any semblance of sense on what's going on.

Tucker instead looked at Danny as if he had grown an extra head. "No, what are  _you_ talking about? Surely you didn't forget your own brother and son?"

Danny was about to retort, but his brain stopped once more at his words, "I have a son?" He was frozen in shock from the news, he didn't react as Tucker pulled him toward the living room and heading to the stairs leading to Sam's room.

However, their path was blocked by a blonde girl wearing a fluffy pink dress and a Hispanic girl wearing a fuzzy red dress both have feather fans on their hand. Their make up was elaborate, and their outfits looked like they came from the 80s, but Danny only needed to look closely and saw they were Star and Paulina.

"I see you're, like, home Brother-in-Law" Star sneered.

"And to be polite, welcome home" Paulina said.

Danny gawked for a minute at the two before finally cracking, "Okay, now I'm a brother-in-law, what the heck is going on?!"

The rest ignored his outcry, as the two closed in on Danny. "Just to remind you, don't think just because you married my sister that I won't keep an eye on you," snarled Star at her supposed brother-in-law before walking away.

"And I'll be watching you as well," Paulina said in turn, but then her lips smile seductively and lean closer to his ear, "I'll watch you closely and very thoroughly." She moved away, and Danny could only look at her back confusingly, still not sure what she meant by that.

Boy, was this boy clueless or what?

"What's going on here?" Said a voice slightly from above.

They all looked up and found Sam, wearing a high-class feathered bathrobe, and being cradled in her arms was a baby. A baby Danny recognized as the Ghost Baby he fought a week ago. Danny growled seeing the baby, he would have dashed right up and taken the baby from Sam's arm so he could suck it into the thermos.

Before he could, Sam called out his name happily and dashed down toward his side and kiss him passionately on his lips.

Danny's brain didn't just stop, it shortcircuited and crashed to no remains.

When Sam back off to give him a breather, Danny wasn't even coherent and repeatedly saying "Uh...I...uu...wha..."

Tucker snickered nudge his elbow to his side, "Brother, get over it, you're like a kid who just got his first kiss."

Danny broke out from his stupor and mentally wailed ' _Because that was my first darn kiss!'_ Everything happened so fast and sudden it was hard trying to come up with an explanation, and he was lying if he hadn't enjoyed it. However, he knew one thing at least, that ghost is the root cause of this, and he needs to take him out.

_'Or you could play along for a while and maybe get a kiss or two from Sam...'_

_'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, there's a ghost in work here!'_

His two mind wrestled for a while and decided nothing is worth getting them brainwashed, "Come, family," Sam said to them, "Let's eat dinner!"

"Dinner? It's barely 4 o'clo-" Danny didn't finish his word when the window revealed the night scenery of Amity Park. "I can already tell this is going to be a long night," he flatly stated in resign.

**. . .**

The dinner was off course held, in the dining room. Sam eating while still cradling the baby, next to her was Danny, but he was on her right while the baby was on her left, Tucker sat next to him while Paulina and Star were seated across. The maids and butler gracefully dance their way (why they'd do that, Danny wasn't sure) and place their dinner on the table.

Danny couldn't help but scowl as he stared at his steak, "Okay, first she got chased by a psychotic meat-crazed ghost, now she got hypnotized to play house with a baby ghost what's next? Get turned into a dragon ghost?"

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Did you say something?" Sam asked worriedly, looking at the scowl expression on him.

Danny turned to her and made a forced smile, "Hehe, I'm fine, Sam," but then glare at the baby still held in her arms. "Although, I appreciate it if I could, maybe, hold my  _son,"_  said Danny, gritting the last word out.

If it wasn't his imagination, the baby glared back and heard the sound of him sucking his pacifier. Sam was about to say 'of course' but was cut off by Star suddenly standing with an angry look, her eyes briefly glowing red.

"I can't take this!" Star yelled out and point her finger at Danny, "This man doesn't deserve to be with you, Sister!"

Sam just looked tiredly at her and sigh, "Star, we have talked about this a million time, I don't care what you think I choose to be with his man."

"Well, I care about you too much to let you be with a man with a below average man such as him!"

"Hey, I resent that!" Danny cried but was to the deaf ear of those two, he then turned to Tucker for support, but he was gobbling in his steak as he watched at the two 'sister' fight.

"Okay... this officially feels like watching a bad soap opera," Danny deadpanned.

Looking at Danny's distress, the baby smirked and sucked on its pacifier harder, and Paulina's eyes shortly glowed red as well before standing up in tears. "Oh please stop sister, this is my fault, all my fault!" Sam and Star were confused at the sudden outburst that they stopped arguing, "I was swayed by his charms and words, I couldn't resist but...Danny and me, we...we...I'm just so sorry Sammy, we betray you," Paulina kept crying.

That got the two girls gasped and glare daggers at the elephant of the room. Danny could only let out two words.

"Uh, oh."

**. . .**

"Correction, it's like living in a  _really_ bad soap opera," Danny said after being kicked out of the house, "This is ridiculous! First, they turned me into a husband, and now they made me into a sick two-timing man with my own sister-in-law? Seriously, what kind of sick person does that?!" Danny yelled up to the sky.

He glanced upward and found a window half covered by a curtain and saw a glimpse of the smirking baby, Danny couldn't help the bright green neon eyes his eyes made. Taking a deep breath, the Ghost Teen tried to sort out what he knew, "Okay so a baby somehow hypnotized the occupants of the house and enchanted the house itself so no one can go in and out except through the front door. For some reason, he's playing house in there with them, and I can't seem to force my way inside so maybe... I can have someone inside open it for me!"

He took out his phone and dialed Tucker's number and cursed when the sound of the operator told him that either he's phone is dead or have no connection.

"Great, how am I getting inside?"

Surprisingly the answer revealed itself when the door slammed open, startling Danny a bit before he made out the silhouette of an old lady sitting on a scooter. He found it weird that she was riding one instead of a wheelchair, but surprisingly, the house was big enough for her to run around with it.

"Come inside, Child! You'll catch a cold staying outside."

Danny was unsure at first, thinking the Ghost Baby may have some kind of plot, but put it aside since it would make no sense of kicking him out then bringing him back in. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Samantha's grandmother, but you can call me Grandma Ida, and you are?"

"Oh I'm Danny, Danny Fenton, so are you... aware the house is different?" Danny vaguely implying the haunted house.

"Different?" She scoffed, "It's in chaos, ever since that baby suddenly appeared, the occupant of this house has gone loco! The only reason what sorcery that baby did wasn't use on me because I pretended to be a senile old lady!" Danny found himself feeling relieved he wasn't the only one feeling left out by this outrageous scenario. "So Danny, do you have something that would help my granddaughter? You Fentons are paranormal hunters right?"

"Actually it's ghost hunters and yes, I can...or at least I know someone who can. Do you happened to know someplace where no one would go and bother me?"

"The bathroom is upstairs at the end of the hallway."

Danny nodded with a smile, but before he could dash away, Grandma Ida took his hand and shot him a pleading look, "Please save my granddaughter."

Danny nodded without a word. Once he found the bathroom, there was a flash shone through the seams and Danny Phantom flew through the door, straight to Sam's room.

There Danny saw her sleeping next to the Ghost Baby. Danny took out his thermos and pointed it at the target, but the whirring sound of the thermos was enough to wake him up and laid its red orb eyes at Danny.

"Fool," he said with deep suave voice.

Danny was so shocked, both by the fact the baby could talk and that his voice could make Morgan Freeman run for his money, limping his arm and stopped aiming his thermos at the ghost.

"You could TALK?!"

A maniacal grin grew on his face, he floated a head higher from him, "Yes, I cab talk Fool, just like how I could do this!" His figure glowed dimly, and the curtain began to wrap him like a Christmas present. Danny tried to go intangible, but again, he couldn't go through.

"Seriously? I'm a kid who got ghost powers, and I got beaten by a lousy drape?!"

The baby floated closer, his deep laughter echoed grimly around the room. Danny didn't find that intimidating, nor was he jealous at his voice any man would want.

Nope, certainly not jealous at all.

"How did you even get out of the ghost zone so soon?" Danny demanded to know.

"As long as part of my essence remains on the other side, I can easily teleport myself here anytime I want," the Ghost Baby said with an air of mystery.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" Danny cried.

"I am Noname-"

"No name? What, did your mother forgot to name you?"

"SILENCE!" Cried the baby as his head momentarily grew with an angered expression. "As I was saying, I am Noname, and I don't have any plans to bring harm."

"You don't? Then why did you snap at me at the lab, huh?"

"Because you are a hurdle from making me reach to a perfect family."

"A...family?" Whatever Danny was expecting, it was certainly not that.

"Yes," he slowly moved Sam to make her slightly float beside him, "A family that loves unconditionally, a family caring your wellbeing, a family that supports you and accept for all that you are, that' all I ever wanted." Noname had a wistful tone at the end and almost made Danny empathized with his wishes.

Almost.

"Love? Caring? You just made a catfight for no reason and made Paulina accuse me of two-timing with her. Dude, that is seriously wrong!"

"Ah, but what kind of family we would be if we don't have a little few side dramas to pass the time don't you think?" Noname said with an innocent smile.

That made Danny growl and rip the curtains to shred with raw strength and floated at him, well intending to punch the light of the kid, Noname kept still with a smirk until Danny got interrupted when Sam came tackling him and yelling out "No!"

"Sa...sam, what are you doing?"

"I won't let you hurt my child!"

"That ghost isn't your child, he's brainwashing you so snapped out of it!"

"Ah, the perfect mother she is, loving, caring, and wish for a perfect ideal family just as much as I do." The note of amusement sent grew an ire inside Danny. Danny was about to go intangible but can't, it seemed whatever being affected by his telekinesis isn't possible to go through.

Sam and Danny began rolling on the floor, the other trying to one-up the other, "Come on, Sam, fight it! You do not seriously think what happened at dinner is your image of your perfect family? Because if that's true, then you really need therapy."

"You don't know anything!" Danny rolled once more, and this time his back is on the floor with Sam clawing on his arm.

"Ow! Jeez, your nails are like claws!"

"You don't know what it's like wishing you could have a normal family..." that got Danny to stop struggling, "...feeling you can never accept if you told them what you feel, being suffocated by their own wish forced on me!"

The Halfa felt a lump on his throat as she shot words after words that were like a punch in the gut from how close to home it was. At that moment, he thought he wasn't seeing Sam; the beautiful A-list girl that can get any guy wrapped around her fingers. Instead, the Ghost Boy was looking at the girl who's sick and tired of her family who couldn't understand her, and Danny never imagined he could have something in common with her. "I know how you feel more than you might think Sam. All my life, I wish I could go to school without worry what my parent's reputation do to me, if what happened at the accident would make them change their feelings for me, or if they would accept me for who I am for being different. You wished you could have a normal family without having to worry about all that." He felt the pressure loosen and Danny continued to talk, but Noname cut him off.

"Then join us, Danny, with us you won't need to worry about acceptance and become a part of a normal family."

Danny ignored him but still shot a glare at him, "They might not be the most normal family, but the fact is they're still mine, and they love me as much as I love them." Danny raised his leg, kicking Sam off from him, "I wouldn't trade them for the world!"

Noname hissed and began levitating all the item in the room, bed, table, lamp, carpet, and everything on sight began circling the room like a mini tornado. Danny is trapped in the middle of it all, thinking hard how to get out.

"Noname said that he had his essence here that help him pass through, so maybe if I destroy it..."

His neon-green eyes began searching through the room for any ghostly energy. His eye then latched into the pacifier he had on hand, "well, only one way to find out."

Danny flew with high speed, ignoring the turbulence wind and avoiding all hurdles hurtling at him. He made a burst of speed at the last minute that he was only but a blur and took the pacifier from its hand.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Sorry pal, but play time's over." Danny crushed the pacifier at hand. He was expecting an anguished scream, the sudden drop of ghostly energy, furniture falling down to its spot.

Danny thought it was over.

Instead, the Ghost Baby screamed Bloody Murder and tackle him down. His hands were tiny enough that he couldn't wring his neck but enough to squeeze his trachea that made it hard for him to swallow air. Not that he needs it, being a ghost and all, but his instinct as a human kick in and he went into panic mode. Not to mention his telekinesis is paralyzing him.

"You Fool, do you realize what you have done?!"

"Other than taking your crummy toy? Enlighten me," he croaked out.

Noname's eyes glowed bright red orbs, his teeth sharpen, and cracks were forming underneath his eyes. For a baby, he sure packed a lot of strength and damn anyone who says his face wasn't scary.

"You broke the spell on this house, now my family is ruin!"

"Not what I was expecting but good enough for me."

That caused a growl from the baby, and before he could do any more damage to Danny, the door to Sam's room was kicked open and appear before them was Tucker with a familiar item on hand.

"Hands off my friend, Ghost!" Tucker aimed and fired the grappling hook, it tied the baby with it, letting Danny free from his clutches. Danny grabbed the thermos that had fallen from his grip and took aim.

"Alright,  _now_ it's over." Danny pushed the button, and a swirling blue light hit the baby. The ghost wailed like a child like the form it appeared to be before fully trapped inside. The furniture green glow diminished until everything fell into a thud. Danny changed back into a human, feeling exhausted but not keeling over anytime soon and walked over to Tucker.

"I knew this thing will come in handy," Tucker said with a proud look.

"Yeah but I don't think that's how you used a grappling hook."

"Hey, your dad made it, you know nothing he made is normal."

"Point."

A groaning sound was heard, and they turned to find Sam unconscious on the floor. The two looked at each other before getting her to lay on her bed, just in time for Grandma Ida to appear.

"I see you've handled whatever ghost problem we're having"

"It's all taking care of ma'am, Sam will be out of it for a while, but her and the rest should be okay."

Ida smiled, gratefully at them, and nodded.

**. . .**

When Sam woke up, she had a massive headache and she briefly though if this was what hangover was like. She looked left and right to find her room perfectly normal, too normal actually, and she felt like she had experienced something that was far more extraordinary.

She flipped open her phone and was shocked to see a week had passed, and she has no memory of what happened.

Actually, she has, but everything was a vague blur, and she needs time to sort everything out to make sense any of it.

"Sammykins, we're home!"

Sam blinked at the voice, her parents are home. She got up and quickly rushed down to meet her parents. They came back with the same look they left, with extra bags accompanying their baggage.

"It's about time you get home, how's the Congress?" Grandma Ida asked as she drove her scooter to her family.

"Great Mother, we met a few potential business partners, and I'm not exaggerating when I say we may spread our influence outside the country one day," answered Jeremy.

"What about you, Sammy," Pamela asked, "How was your week?

' _Oh nothing special, I just mysteriously forgot what I did for the whole week,'_ but she can't really answer with that, can she?

She didn't need to answer though, as her mother immediately went on about how great walking around Paris and riding London's Eye. She gushed over the souvenirs and new clothes she bought for herself and Sam 'knowingly' how much they would love it.

However, there was something different she felt when looking at them. Usually, there would be this prickling irritation inside her chest when she looked at them. It still exists now, but it felt different, like a weight that was there was slightly lifted, and a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

' _They might not be the most normal family, but the fact is they're still mine, and they love me as much as I love them. I wouldn't trade them for the world!_ '

That voice seemed to reaffirm her feelings, giving her parents one of her bone-crushing hug she so rarely gave.

"Is something wrong, Sammy? This isn't like you," Jeremy pointed out.

"Oh nothing, just want to say I love you."

The two parents looked at each other confusingly before hugging back their daughter. Grandma Ida smiled at the scene but then spotted a walking glass heading outside. Immediately she pumped her gas to her scooter and run it over. The rest of the family oblivious of what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, please tell me? How did I do with my original story?
> 
> Bad? Good? Meh?
> 
> A little fun fact of Noname is that he was inspired by my now 3 Months old nephew. As a ghost, I made him obsessed with the concept of family and likes to have his own twist just for the heck of it and secretly loves watching soap opera.
> 
> And it's not DP if there isn't a comedic ending am I right?
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Please comment and push that kudos!!!


	4. Parental Bonding

 

"Sammykins, I~ have~ a surprise~ for you~" Pamela sing-song when she barged into her room. While Sam may love her mother dearly, the only two things she finds least tolerable was her unawareness for her private space and the early morning call at the weekends. She pulled aside the curtains and the morning light hit her face like a punch at the back of her eyes, jolting her brain awake.

"This better be good," she grumbled on her pillow and woke up with a smile, yet her eyes barely opened, "What is it, Mother?" Sam pulled herself up and opened her eyes to find her mom holding up  _another_ gaudy pink outfit for her to wear. Specifically, it was a sleeveless pink dress that  _sparkles_ of all things! White gems embedded by the collar and the fabric itself, from the sleeve to its hem, was glittering with pink glitter that Sam would have believed if they were made purely out of one. She didn't mind the color pink (even though she already had an excessive color of it in the house) or the dresses. As a matter of fact, she loved wearing them.

What she did mind was her mother's sense of fashion, which was... questionable at times.

Add to the fact her mother loves dress up had Sam to have an additional wardrobe in her wardrobe just to keep these, the only thing now keeping the fashion police from barreling down her house would be if she wore socks and high heels at the same time.

Or worse, some sort of fashion ghost popping in.

"What's the occasion this time?" She asked, hiding the hint of exasperation in it.

"Why I bought it for the big dance next Saturday. Have you got a date yet? Oh, I'm sure you're excited about it" Her mother rambled her answer.

Sam blinked a few times before glancing at the calendar that had circled red mark on Friday that says 'HOMECOMING DANCE!'

She had honestly forgotten about that.

She couldn't help it though, considering Sam had just experience getting chased by a meat-crazed ghost and playing house with one, everything else seemed to fly off the window. She looked back at her mother and the monstrosity she had on hand. "You know, I already promised Paulina and the others we would buy our dresses together Mother, I don't want to be rude by being the only one not buying my dress with them."

Pamela deflated but understood where her daughter is coming from, it's more important to be in the good grace of your peers after all, and she's happy her Sammy has good friends to go shopping together.

She changed to her usual clothing and got down for breakfast, she kissed goodbye to her mother and father and walked to school, wishing a normal day went by. But deep down she knew, without knowing why. That soon there will be another new ghost coming.

It's not like she's pessimistic, nor eager to meet one again. Two was hopefully enough for her lifetime, but Sam knew that ever since the portal was opened, Amity Park would never be the same again. Then her mind track back toward the dance this Saturday, she was, of course, excited about it and not that she's overconfident, but she knew she was good enough for a few boys on school wanting to ask her out. She wouldn't mind anyone as long as she gets a date to the dance but prefers to be with someone she wants to share the night with together.

 _Wow_ she thought, Sam is reading too many chick-flick.

Sam took out her book from her locker then she was greeted by another one of her tolerable friends, Valerie Gray, waiting by her locker. "Heyya Sam, ready for another round of math?"

"Ugh math, how one lives with that many numbers," Sam moaned, hauntingly.

Valerie chuckled and the two walked toward their class, "So does Miss-I-think-all-boys-are-shallow have any date next Friday?"

"No, not yet, hopefully, I do, what about you?"

"Got Kwan to ask me out, but not sure that would last long, he's been wanting to take out Donna for a while so I might get dumped if she agrees."

"Wow, tough."

"So, any boys particular in mind you want to go out with?"

"No, no one like tha..." Sam's eyes locked on to shaggy black-haired boy with blue eyes, taking out his books. Unfortunately for her, Valerie caught on who she was eyeing on.

"Fenton? Really? That loser?" Valerie asked incredulously.

"Hey, he's not that bad once you get to know him," she tried defending him.

"Girl, that boy couldn't handle a beaker even if it's been glued on his hand, and don't get me started with his pants."

Sam could only let out a dry laugh at the memory. Unlike Valerie though, she knew one side of Danny not many people would find and she finds herself feeling a bit special knowing that.

"Well, it's not like he'll actually go out of his way to ask me out so I'll just have to be satisfied with anyone." Sam's path was then blocked by a tall lanky teenager, he was wearing a white shirt underneath his basketball uniform that sported the number two. He had a shaggy red hair, green misty eyes and few freckles across his face. He was sprouting a nervous grin as he rubbed his head.

"Hey Sam, I was wondering if you would..."

"No." Sam walked past his shell shocked face with a stride follow by Valerie who was still glancing at the rejected teen.

"Didn't you say you're satisfied with anyone who asks you?"

"Doesn't mean I'll make it easy for them, besides I don't know him anyway."

Valerie blinked confusingly, "You don't? He sounded like you two should know each other."

Sam thought back at his face and tried to place it to a familiar scene but couldn't so she shook her head, "Nope, he doesn't ring a bell."

. . .

 

 

At the courtyard of Casper High school where it was currently decorated for the upcoming dance, one single Tech-Geek African American was on almost on his last leg in trying to get a date for the Big Dance three days from now. I should say I must admire his tenancy in asking every girl in school and still the same answer was spout by every one of them.

"Hi, would you..." he began to say when a redhead came out from school which she replied with an immediate no.

"Hey, I'm..." Another blonde girl replied the same way as she passed.

While Tucker was dejected, another girl rejected him without looking so much at a glanced at him which made him irritated.

"I didn't ask you yet!"

Emphasized the word 'yet' and the fact his streak of asking every girl has already been well known by most of the population in Casper High. Tucker dragged himself to sat next to his best friend in one of the lunch benches with a crestfallen look.

"Strike three, Tucker?" Danny teased.

"Try strike three  _thousand_ , what's a guy got to do to get a date around here?!" Tucker pulled out his PDA and cross the few girls he had asked and failed to go out with to the dance, Danny then pulled his PDA away and glanced down all the girls he had to try asking, he didn't even know when he asked most of them. Though he noticed there's one name that isn't on the list.

"Hey, where's Sam?"

"Uh... her? Sorry Danny, not only did you have dibs on her, but I wouldn't ask her out even if she's the only girl in school."

"Wow, your grudge is serious there," Danny said wide eyes. Three things he knew his best friends love; tech, meat, and girls. So looking at him not liking one without asking her out or flirt with was definitely a big deal for him.

"My grudge for food is always serious Danny, and it will pass down for seven generations!" Tucker said with a straight face, "So, what was it again you said about fishing a dragon?"

"A ghost dragon Tucker, and yeah my dad was fishing for ghost this morning and I ended up fighting a fire breathing dragon, I beat her but then she suddenly turned into a girl." Danny was a bit confused by that, in terms of strength she should have been on par with the Lunch Lady and Noname if not more so, but she quickly retreated when she transformed." Danny had a few ideas in mind but he shelved those at the moment.

"Wait, back up, so she's a ghost girl that can transform into a dragon or is it the other way around?"

"Don't know but basically yeah."

"...is she cute?"

"Tucker, she's a ghost!"

"Hey, I'm just asking! Is she cute or not?"

Before Danny could answer him, the two then realized a few of the people around was gawking and followed their sight, Danny was starstruck as well while Tucker scowled. Sam was there, walking through the schoolyard pavement, with as much as confidence any A-lister would have. One boy accidentally dumped his drink on his friend, another guy was crying because his friend dropped his vintage card to the fountain, then there's an alien who stopped mid-air to look at her.

Nah, I'm just kidding. Another just trip over a rock.

Tucker rolled his eyes at his lovestruck friend, "So...when are you asking her to the dance?"

"What?! Are you mad Tuck? I can't just ask her out!"

"Why not? Usually, I would just encourage you to go for it without much hope for success," Danny glared at his words, "but Sam actually knows you, so it's more than likely she might agree to go to the dance."

"Even so, I can't just go there and ask her!" Danny flailed his arms, "talking to her is already exercising my weak-knee, but asking her to the dance is a whole new hurdle."

"Really? Even though she ki..."

" _Not one word of that Tucker."_ Danny made his signature death glare at him, "We agree never to mention that. Ever."

Tucker nodded, he wasn't scared but Danny's glare did make him nervous. The Techno-Geek sighed once more at Danny's antic in not giving himself a chance. It would have been easier to just ask and get it over than mulling it whether he should or should not. Which is why as his best mate/wingman, it is his obligation to raised his boot and kick his friend to the side when Sam walked past their table.

Taken by surprise, Danny glared at him for no more than a second before smiling sheepishly at the figure of Sam, standing in front of him. He quickly got up and rest his hand on a tree. Trying to look as cool and suave he imagined being. "Hiiiiiiii Sam, what's up?" His arm turned intangible, unknown by the two, and Danny kissed the ground once more.

"Well, better than down there I suppose," she answered with an amused smile.

Danny forced out a laugh before getting up once more and followed by his nervous tic, "Wow, this is awkward...not that you're awkward, but more like...I'm awkward, you're pretty." Danny froze and his eyes widen, "Wait, did I just say that?"

Sam was trying hard to chuckle and kept smiling because ' _gosh, this guy is a dork, but an adorable dork!'_  She thought. She never understood what Alexis meant that someone could be adorable in a dorkish way, but now she knew.

"I'm flattered, but is there a reason why you're telling me this all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, I...was just...thinking if you...maybe...like to... _gotothedancewithme_?"

As soon as Danny stammered out the word, his ghost powers decided to react and turned his pants intangible, leaving him pantless and his boxers showed to the public. Danny groaned and slapped himself at the burst of laughter around him, he prepared himself for the final nailing of making today the worst day of his life.

"Sure, pick me up at seven?"

"Okay, fine, I understand, I'll just go and...wait, did you just say yes?" He asked with eyes wide in disbelief.

"Why not? Though may I suggest you came with a belt? Don't want your pants to slip off while we dance, no? Later Danny," she waved him off as she head to school.

Danny just stood like a statue while Tucker, who had witnessed the whole exchange, walked over to him and slapped his back. "Congratulations dude, thanks to you, I know the quickest way to a woman's heart; clean boxers!" He joked. However, there was no reaction as he stayed frozen. He waved his hand on Danny's blank face that slowly but surely turn into a big fat grin and pumped his fist in the air.

"She said yes...SHE SAID YES!"

"Danny, I know you're happy and all but please put your pants on dude."

. . .

 

 

"You agree to go out with that freak?!" Paulina said with obvious incredulity and closing her locker on the way.

"Hey, Danny help in some... _tigh_ t...situation, I'm just returning the favor, Paulina." Sam already lost count how much he defended Danny and that he wasn't that bad or geeky if people try to get to know him.

"Ugh, you don't need to owe the freak anything, Sam. In fact, he should be the one owing you now that he gets the only chance to even hang out with an A-lister, by the way, Darling are we set in buying our dress after school?"

"Obviously, can't rely on my mother on that part."

"While your mother is nice, she has some questionable taste." that was the nicest thing Paulina could say that wasn't an insult, "Anyway, did Valerie agree to go with us?"

"Yup, she said she had her eyes on a smoking hot red dress."

Paulina looked delighted from the news and just as they agree, the four girls; Star, Sam, Paulina and Valerie ready to leave for some shopping.

The shop the went to was called 'Dawn' it was filled with both tailored made and imported dress, most were on sale because it was the Homecoming season. The downside was most of the saled dresses barely had anything of her size. She has no problem, buying a more expensive one but that would mean buying something more extravagant and she has no interest in that much flare, she has enough from her home.

One by one, her friends choose their desired dress. Paulina with her pink dress, Valerie with her red dress that has revealing back, Star with her short white dress that reaches her knee and the only one with a long-sleeved. Sam took the longest in searching for her dress but when she caught her desire dress, she smiled.

Once they were satisfied with their shopping, they had a small break at the nearest cafe as they chat all the latest 'news' if you can call their gossip that.

"So Sam, continuing our last conversation, what makes you agree to go out with Fenton?"

That caused the other yelping "What?!"

Sam groaned for the nth time he had to explained this, "For the last time, why do you all keep asking me that?! He's not  _that_ much of a dork, his friendly and nice to talk with so the question is, why not?"

"Uh...other than he's a freak, a loser, an idiot which makes him the bottom of the social ladder, I don't see why not." Star mercilessly pointed out.

While Sam couldn't help cringe at that, Valerie decided to take Sam's side and poke a hole at that argument, "I don't hear the word 'ugly' coming from your list" she slyly said.

That made Star blushed and coughed dismissively. Valerie secretly high five Sam under the table. However, that statement seemed to trigger something in Paulina's mind, true if she ignored his dorkish attitude, in terms of look Danny Fenton was better than most teens in school. Why she didn't realize that sooner was beyond her and that irritated her more now that there's a good point on the boy.

"Pssh, don't be blind girls, in what world does any girl would date a Fenton unless she's as much of a freak as him."

Sam scowled, "What's your deal, Paulina? It's none of your business who I go out with, in fact, I think you're too shallow to even get a date with anyone other than the A-lister"

She gasped, "Oh no, you did not just call me shallow, did you?!"

"If you mean if anyone can step at a puddle of you and not get their feet wet, then yes," Sam retorted.

Star began groaning while Val leaned forward expectantly at the upcoming fight they're going to have. "Ooh no, not again," Star said tiredly.

"Personally, I think they're fighting is long overdue," Valerie offered her two-cent with amusement.

Sam and Paulina began to banter back and forth that left the other two enjoying their cake as they watch.

"Take that back witch!"

"Or what? You're going to steal my make-up kit?"

"If you think I can, I will"

"Please...anyone can survive without make-up unlike you, you're just a beauty maniac that can't see anything beyond skin deep in anyone."

"What makes you special and know it all when you never dated anyone before Miss Single?"

"Dogbreath!"

"She-witch"

"You know what, this isn't going anywhere," Sam said with her hands up, "how about you try proving me wrong."

That got the other two friends turning their back straight. They knew Sam's tone on this one, and this usually means she's plotting something that would make the situation even worse and they sent a horrified look at Sam's way, giving few signals to stop whatever she had in mind.

"I'm listening." Paulina leaned back on her chair, arm crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Go to the dance with someone not on the A-list and I'll take everything I say about you," Sam challenged.

Paulina pondered over this, on one hand, she would have agreed to go on a date with one of the losers in school and had to hide a shudder from the image. On the other hand, she could finally take out the stick on that nosy Witch and actually make a point to her. If only she knew a decent loser she could go out with.

An idea then came to her mind and Paulina smirked at Sam, "Oh, you're on. Sammy."

Now both Val and Star shuddered because even Paulina is giving that plotting look she had, which makes this bet twice worse than they originally thought.

If you can't imagine how bad it'd be, then imagine dozen of children crying with broken toys and both girls were too busy arguing in the middle of all that chaos.

It's best if you don't know the details.

 

. . . 

 

"Can you believe it, Tucker? Sam agrees to go to the dance with me, ME! I wasn't dreaming it yesterday right?" Danny said, his face brimming with happiness and excitement as took out some books from his locker.

"For the last thousand times Danny, yes it wasn't a dream." He replied while staring wistfully at the few girls walking down the hallways.

As Danny was about to ask again whether Sam Manson had agreed to be his date was a dream or not, he heard his name being called and froze.

"Yoohoo, Danny!" Because he turned to find Paulina, slightly dashing through the hallway and waving her hand at him.

Danny and Tucker went slack-jawed at the fact, and their mind both were crying out ' _WHY?'_

 _"_ Uh, Tucker why is Paulina calling out to me so cheerfully?"

"I don't know," he said with an identical dumbfounded look that quickly turned to a grin, "but hey, maybe you finally  _arrive_?"

When Paulina finally stood before him, Danny instantly felt the lump in his throat and he knew he'll be having a hard time talking to her. "Hey you, I've been wanting to talk to you."

Danny looked to both his side and doubtfully pointed at himself, "Me?"

Paulina giggled, and somehow it made not only Danny but the few boys in the vicinity smile wistfully at her. "Of course Silly, who else am I talking to?"

Danny wasn't sure if he heard it right and for a split second, he thought Paulina might have been hypnotized by some ghost again. "Hmm, are you all right Paulina? Because you're usually not so nice to me."

"What makes you say that?" She flashed an innocent smile.

"You called him a Loser barely a week ago." Tucker chimed in.

Paulina briefly glared at him before reinforcing a forced smile, "Funny, aren't you? I just called him that as an endearment term for him."

"Uhm, thanks, I guess? So...do you need anything, Paulina?"

"I'm glad you ask, I've been meaning to ask if you want to have to eat lunch with me."

"M...m...me?" Danny stammered out while Tucker felt just as disbelief as his friend, "Why...I mean...uh...sure why not?"

"Great, see ya, Danny."

While Paulina left the scene with a sly smile, both boys were still dumbstruck why Miss Popular suddenly strike a conversation with them, well, Danny mostly.

"Dude, did that just happened?" Tucker let out.

"I'm just confused as you Tuck, but Holy Cow! First I got a date with Sam now Paulina started talking to me, can this day got any better?" Danny let out a grin.

For once, Murphy's law did the opposite of what he said when Tucker froze when he found a terrifying look behind him. "Danny, do you trust me?"

"Huh, yeah sure Tucker, why?"

Without giving him an answer, Tucker opened the locker door and shoved Danny inside and hastily closing it before an angry-looking Sam marching up to him which Tucker could only let out a nervous grin in reply when those glaring eyes were shot at him.

"Where's Danny?" Sam asked in a dangerously even tone.

"No," Tucker answered quickly. Too quickly. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just heard a disturbing rumor of him  _flirting_ with Paulina." Her even tone went up an octave lower.

' _Wow, the rumor mill run fast!_ ' Tucker thought. "Whaaaat...psssh, that's ridiculous, they were just talking, why do you ask?"

The furious glare she had harden and Tucker couldn't help the squeak he let out as his back blocked the locker his best friend is in. Unknown to Tucker, Sam was more furious at her 'friend' Paulina and the audacity she had. She knew her well enough she didn't talk to someone like Danny without motive and she knew immediately she planned to steal him from her and humiliate her in the best way possible.

 _ **"Like I'll let her,"**_ Sam snarled lowly, but enough to be heard by Tucker and give him shiver.

Tucker may love good catfight, heck if anyone told him where and when he would bring out chips and soda just to enjoy watching them. Getting involved in a catfight though? He'll high tail his way out the first moment he was given the chance because he knew better how nasty catfight can be, why do you think he loves watching it?

Apparently though, Danny has become the very reason for this particular fight. and he mentally prayed for his friend.

Once Sam had walked out, fuming. Tucker let out a breath he had been holding and was about to release his friend when a particular blonde A-List was in sight and his crush, Elanor 'Star' Florez. Immediately forgetting Danny's current predicament. "Hey, I'm Tucker and are you a keyboard? Because you're just my type."

Let's just say, Star was not impressed. "Skip it, Foley whatever you're asking, the answer is no."

"Oh come on, at least please give this guy a chance? What more do you want from me? I got charms, looks, charisma...

On the other hand, Danny feeling he had been in his locker long enough invisibly and intangibly leaned out of the locker and frown when he saw his friend failing to flirt. Did he even need to shove him aside just to flirt? In an impulse, Danny felt like shoving his friend but being intangible, he instead got sucked in his body. He blinked for a while, confused that he was now outside and facing Star, he looked down at himself and realized that...

"And I'm also in... Tucker's body?"

"What?"

"Of course I mean...a...and I got ways to tell you that you're looking fine today." He tried to brush off the suspicious look Star had on him while his mind was berating himself, ' _What are you doing Fenton?!'_ After all, he never tried picking up girls before, he may like to teased Tucker on his failure but at least he could do it without stuttering.

 _"_ Oh please, is that the best you can do?"

Acting quickly with a thought ' _What would Tucker say?'_  He gasped as he clutched his heart dramatically, "You wound me if you think that's what I'm capable of, how am I going to see you smile if I'm not funny, I mean...I'm so funny, I made Chris Rock sound like a sugar-overload chipmunk."

Star chuckled a bit and quickly closed her mouth, "Okay, I'll admit that was a  _little_ funny"

"And there's more where that came from if you go the dance with me and no girl would be worth taking than you."

' _Okay, where did that come from, I sure know Tucker isn't good enough to come up with that and neither am I.'_

Star was about to say no when a sudden thought made her pause, Paulina had made a bet to go out one of the losers around the school but she wouldn't want it to ruin her reputation so probably she'd be goaded to do the same sooner or later, "...I'll go."

"Wait...you will?"

"Yup, but oh! Pick me up at 7 and wear a white suit to match me, if not I'll make you regret asking me. Bye Foley!"

Once she left the area, Danny got out of Tucker (Ew, that sounded gross) and back to the locker. His African American friend was disoriented for a moment about what happened before switching his attention toward the banging locker.

"Sorry, Danny, almost forgot about you."

"Yeah, thanks a lot Tuck," he snarked, "Did you really need to shove me off just to get rid of me?"

"Hey, I said I was sorry! Besides, I saved you from Sam's ire after she heard talks about you and Paulina."

Danny scrunched his nose in confusion, "Why would she be mad by that? I mean, we were only talking."

Tucker was about to say something but groan instead as he slapped his hand on his face, mumbling the word 'clueless' and the two marched up the stairs, Tucker shrugging off te sudden blanked out and Danny still making head and tails of his sudden newfound ability.

It was then he remembered he had help Tucker get a date and was about to remind him. That chance was lost when Danny crashed to his 'favorite' bully, who immediately grabbed his shirt as the blond snarled to his face, "DASH?! What did I do now?"

"You know what you did Fenturd, not only did you get a date with Sam, you also flirt with Paulina and I say someone should remind where you stand in this school."

"I think I'm aware that I stand on the floor if you put me down Dash."

With a slight pushed that had his butt his the edge of the stair, Danny didn't notice his bag latched open and neither did he take not of the clinking sound of gold hitting tiles as it hits steps after steps down the stairs until it fell inside to an unsuspecting student who had his bag not fully closed as he walked down.

After getting a swirly, and the jocks high five. Danny got out of the stall, drenched and his mood as foul as he smells. Though he only needed to turned intangible and he was wet free, the perks of being a half-ghost. He then got out where Tucker was patiently waiting for him, "And just when I thought things were looking up," he groused.

Then, his ghost power proved him further by turning intangible and fall off,  _again._  "I should have expected that," he said while ignoring the laughter across the hall. To make it worse, Mr. Lancer witness and seemed to be very concern about the boy's pants problem that he wasn't sure if it was even unintentional or not from the many times it happened.

"Pantless again, Mr. Fenton? Third time this week I've caught you- how do you kids say it? Lancer took  _out a book called "How To Sound Hip For the Unhip'_  in sad attempts to keep up with how kids talk these days as he liked to call it.  _"_ Dropping trou. I think it's time I saw your father for a parent-teacher conference." He gave Danny a notice slip which caused him to look nervous

"Oh man, my dad?!"

Until then, here. It'll help you keep your pants up" he gave him a belt that Danny accepts then turned to consult his book, "and... out of trouble with the man"

"Oh wow, that's rough," Tucker said, sympathetically.

"Tell me about it, it's like the world tried to make sure every good thing I got comes with a price of making me miserable and-why are you using that belt?"

"Hey, we both know the belt isn't going to help so I'm just making use of it," Tucker answered.

 

. . . 

When lunch finally came around, Danny was thrilled when he found Paulina waving at her enthusiastically and he came at her. Before he could greet her though, Sam hit their table with her tray with a forced smile, yet anyone with a pair of eyes could see her eyes were clearly angry.

"Hey, Sam."

Sadly, our hero doesn't have the brain to use them well enough.

"Hey Danny, hello  _Paulina,_ since when were you two this friendly?" She asked curiously.

Danny was about to answer when he was cut off by the Hispanic girl next to him, "Oh very recently, you were right Sam. He's not so bad once you get to know him."

' _Like you even try to get to know him you little wench'_ Sam mentally snarled.

The two began to send dagger with their eyes that the atmosphere was thick enough for a knife to cut. While Danny obliviously glanced between the two, Tucker came at the upcoming help his friend might need. Had he been alone with one girl he would have given then space, but two? The boy needs all the help he can get.

That, and so he could watch over the catfight.

"What's up dude and dudettes? Has anyone told you ladies yet that you're hotter than the bottom of my laptop today?"

The two girls rolled their eyes in synch while Danny groaned to his hand, "What are  _you_ doing here if I recall you're not invited to this place."

"Oh get off your high horse Paulina, your name was never written on the table." Sam retorted.

"There never was the need Sweetie, or do I need to be more explicit I don't want  _both_ of you interrupting us when we're just getting to know one another."

"Whether I or anyone sit here or not is none of your concern Paulina, not everything revolves around your big small-minded head"

"Uhm girls..." Danny let out, "Don't you think you need to..." His words were cut off when Tucker covered his mouth and shushed him hut his eyes glued to the two girls.

"Danny, friendly advice, know when not to get involve if you know what's good for you." Danny shot an unsure look at his best friend and switch to the angry A-List girls sitting next to them. Considering how scary they were beginning to look, Danny had to agree with Tucker.

However, despite his mouth being covered, he felt the shivering cold up to his spine and the mist he breathed out. He stood up abruptly and excused himself, sadly though they barely realized he was even gone, too busy taunting each other.

Danny slipped in a janitor's closet, quickly turning into Phantom and flew up through the school. He scanned left and right for the ghost and felt once more the shivering spike in him coming from behind.

He was surprised to find the medieval ghost girl he had fought yesterday. " _You?!_ What are you doing out here again?"

"I want to go to the ball!" She wailed, but then she blinked and blushed green when she realized someone was there with her, "Oh, hehe my apologies, my  _frustration_ got me carried away sometimes." The girl blushed green as she said and threw Danny off guard. She then began to float left and right as if searching for something, yet when she came closer toward his school, he panicked and immediately aimed his thermos at her.

"Oh no you don't, you're not causing any trouble in my school!" He pressed the button and unsuspected ghost was sucked in it. Danny blinked once more at how... _easy_ it was and eyed the thermos suspiciously as if waiting for the ghost to pop out.

"Okay either that ghost was too easy, or this will come back to bite me." He smirked, "Or haunt me in this case."

 

. . . 

 

 Stanley Brooke was a freshman of Casper High, he had short bright blond hair, freckles, and turquoise eyes, his teeth looked like it needed braces and he was an extreme dork, no one, not even him, denies that. Stanley has been mulling over how to ask out the girl of his dream. Correction, the girl of every guy's dream.

She never left his eyes whenever she strolled across the hall, the bliss he felt when he caught her smiled and laugh, the restless sleep whenever she popped in his dreams. So when said girl was walking toward him, he gulped hard, clenching the hem of his shirt as he prepared to ask her a once in a lifetime request. ' _You can do this...you can do this...'_ Stanley wanted to try swooning like one of the characters he watched on TV yet he spectacularly failed barely a second later when he tripped on his shoelace.

"Oh please, don't tell me you've fallen for me because that line is so last semester."

Stanley got up quickly and began to shed cold sweat, "Yes...I mean, no...I mean hi, I'm Stan."

Paulina Sanchez would have ignored his outstretched hand when her eyes caught a beautiful amulet fallen off Stanley's bag. "Oh my god, this is beautiful, where did you get it?"

Stanley looked shocked at first, seeing an unfamiliar necklace coming out of his bag. He was about to deny it when the gleaming smile she had stopped him to whatever he wanted to say. "Do you like it? Be...Because I got it for you in...case you agree to go to the dance with me...would you please?"

"Well, Tim was it?"

"It's Stan."

"Well Stan, this amulet is so beautiful and I love it so much." That got Stanley to grin widely at her, and his heart lurched in hope, "but you're still not getting a date from me so bye!" Stanley froze with his jaw dropped as he watched his idol strut away with the amulet around her neck. He sighed sadly and berated himself that he should have expected that.

 

. . .

 

"Hey Tucker, sorry I was late." Danny saw the grinning form of Tucjervas he finished his snack.

"No problem, I bought your fries and burger for you."

"Bacon cheeseburger?" He asked knowingly.

"You know it."

The two began to eat as Danny retold his story how he went intangible and was able to possess people and have them do what they want them to do and used it on his dad to go to that Parent-Teacher Meeting so he wouldn't get in trouble, even going so far as to impressed which had gone worse instead.

"How did that became worse?"

"The plan worked too well Tuck, Mr. Lancer then decided to make my dad chaperone for the dance and he doesn't even remember any of it!"

"So let me get this straight. You can just walk into people and take over their bodies from the inside?

"Yeah, pretty much."

Tucker was about to ask him a favor when he noticed how Danny kept glancing at the thermos. He had told him that the dragon/girl ghost came back just after lunch was through and how odd she had been.

"Are you still thinking about the ghost?"

"Yeah Tucker, that ghost didn't even try to fight me making it too easy for me to catch her, and I think she's in the middle of searching for something."

"Aren't you just a bit paranoid? So you got an easy catch, so what? I'd say you just need to chillax until a real problem comes."

A cold mist was breathed out at the same time a deafening roar shook the mall followed by the screaming terror of people.

"There's your problem Tuck," he rushed behind a pillar and summon the familiar bright ring, turning him into Danny Phantom.

Looking back at the back of his superhero friend, Tucker could only let out the first thing on his mind, "Can I have your fries?!"

Whatever ghost he had in mind that might appear then, the dragon ghost was the last thing on his list, " _You?!_ I thought I captured you! Or are you just some sort of evil twin dragon?"

His surprise distracted him. and the ghost was able to smack him away into a wiener stand, making him daze, "Different dragon, same temper." Danny quipped to himself.

He got up again and began to fight back as he rammed against the blue dragon, pushing her through the air yet she grabs him in mid-flight and smacked him down to the ground.

"Must have Tee!"

"Tea? Ooh, good idea. Coffee could make you a mite jittery. Better yet..." Danny sunk through the floor, making the dragon looked at ita claws in confusion until a punch pushed her to the air, "Have some PUNCH!"

When Danny ready his stance once more, he realized the dragon was gone and his ghost sense didn't detect anything around him. Convinced that the ghost was gone, he turned back to Fenton discreetly and ran back to Tucker.

"Hey Danny, you okay dude?" Tucker asked as he finished the last fries on hand.

Danny briefly scowled Tucker ate his leftover but sigh in the end, "Fine, but that's the second time I fought a dragon while the girl who transformed is still in the thermos. We need to investigate."

"Great... but count me count me out until I get a date...hey Danny, since you could control people, can you do me a favor and like, possessed a girl for about two minutes..."

Danny was about to deny when a reminder of afternoon's event when he first overshadowed someone resurface and he nervously rubbed his neck, "Actually... Tucker... there's something I forgot to mention."

"Hey, Valerie!"

"No, no, wait, Tuck!"

Tucker ignored him in place of Valerie and despite Danny trying to interrupt him, he ended up getting a date with her in the end.

" _Woohoo_! I got myself a date. And the pants are still on, aaa...Danny, what's wrong?"

The only immediate response he had was to facepalm.

 

 

. . . 

 

Danny got home with Tucker tagging along. After making sure no one was in the basement. Tucker was still in a bad mood while he reluctantly followed him.

"Tucker, I said I was sorry, it slipped my mind!"

"How did getting a hot date with Star could have slipped your mind! Now I have to cancel one of them without making them angry! How are you even a roll with girls these days when I barely succeed asking one?!"

"Apparently, I'm a better you when pretending to be you than you," Danny said with a smirk.

"What?! How does that even make sense?"

"Can we talk about this later? Right now we have some questions need answering."

The two looked at each other in confirmation before Danny opened the thermos lid and pushed the release button. Releasing the medieval ghost girl in a groggy state.

"Uuh...what...where..." She scanned her surroundings and caught the eyes of the one who forced her in her predicament. "YOU!"

Let's just say she didn't take Danny too well.

Her eyes became bloodshot red, green fire surrounding her as she lunged and put her hand around his neck before the two boys could react.

"DANNY!" Tucker yelled.

"How dare you disrespect me, Princess Dorothea!"

"Oh great, I just angered a ghost royalty," Danny muttered, "I'm sorry your Royal Highness, I had attack unknowingly thinking you were a threat and ignorant of your status as a princess." Danny let out a sigh when his words seemed to quell her anger if the diminished fire is any indication.

"I suppose I can't blame, you, who dwell in the Real World, for your ignorance but be warned that I won't give you any more mercy than this."

The ghost turned her back and was about to float away Danny halted her, "Wait, before you go your... Highness, do you know anything about a ghost dragon?"

"You've seen it? Where? Please, you must take me to it!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. I'd like to but first, can you give me some answers of my own. I saw you transformed from that dragon yet I saw the same dragon after I caught you."

The ghost was silenced for a moment, thinking the pros and cons telling these two young boys and sigh in the end, "I suppose you'd need an answer if you're going to help me. My ability to transform isn't something innate but rather it originates from the Amulet of Aragon, an heirloom given to the two heirs of Aragon and had been used to protect our kingdom for centuries by transforming into a dragon harness by our extreme emotional duress or anger...though I still lack control because of little of my anger management."

"You don't say..." Danny deadpanned, making her slightly coughed from embarrassment.

"A...anyway, whoever it is that holds the amulet posses a form of a dragon. As long as you lead me to the dragon then I will personally take what's rightfully mine and go back to my kingdom."

Danny thought of her proposal for a moment, on one hand, that would help her go back to the ghost zone willingly without a needless fight, on the other hand, he couldn't put her trust on her yet after she got her amulet back.

"Look how about we make an arrangement, I'm sure you want the amulet back as badly I want you to go back home but the fact is you don't know where you're going in the Real World and would end up wandering around without a clue." The ghost bit her lip, begrudgingly accepting his logic, "so here's the deal, give me 24 hours for me to go try finding the amulet and if I can't find it then I'll let you roam on this side, do you accept?"

"...very well I accept your terms, Sir..."

"Phantom, Danny Phantom."

"Sir Phantom. Then, I, Princess Dorothea shall await for you by this time tomorrow." She then left for the ghost zone, leaving two confused boys on how to find an amulet among the entire town.

 

.

 . . .

 

"So...any idea how you're going to find that amulet?" Tucker asked concernedly as he looked at his sleep-deprived friend from his late-night outing to find it.

"Other than checking through every person in Amity Park for it? No, on the bright side if no one wears it means that we won't have to worry about the dragon for a while."

"Hey, Danny!"

"Hey, Pau...Paulina!" Danny almost screamed out her name when his eyes latched to a familiar necklace around her neck, "That's...a nice amulet you got there." he pointed out nervously.

"You like?" She smugly said, "It's a gift"

"Yeah, haha," He laughed awkwardly when he felt like screaming, "Nice gift."

"So Danny... I was wondering if you really wanted to go out with Sam to the dance when there's a better viable choice in front of you?"

Danny was confused at first before her words suddenly make sense to him, "You...you want to go to the dance with me?"

"Oh Danny I would love too," Paulina said joyfully and before Danny could correct her she continued, "and if you stood me up I might get so mad that I could even trash the whole dance."

A tense silence went on before Paulina laughed at her joke, followed by Danny's dry laughter before Paulina bid her farewell. Tucker and he just stood dumbfounded on what happened, "Dude, the one time you're not clueless and you just had to make things worse than it is."

"Oh man Tucker, what am I going to do? I can't take her out, I've already promised Sam and the dance is tonight!"

"Well either you take her out and lose any chance you have with Sam or you'll be dealing one angry ghost dragon, take your pick dude because this is way out of my leagues."

Danny could only moan ruefully.

. . . 

 

Danny was nervous, the night had come he was no waiting for Sam outside her door, pacing back and forth, "Sam, I really wanted to go with you but something came up and now I'm going with Paulina." Danny smiled before he raised his hand and slapped himself at that horrible excuse.

"Ugh, all right Danny, you're a half-dead guy who fought ghosts, you could take a woman's ire like a man, this is for the greater good... oh man, this is going to suck." The door to the porch was open and Danny's resolute look fell when he turned.

Sam was already pretty on her daily basis, but tonight, beautiful doesn't seem to describe her. She was wearing a V-neck dress, dark purple flower lace and few sequins with white long flowy skirt of its dress. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that showed more of her complexion and her jawline. Any words he had prepared were thrown out the window as he acted just like when he got his first kiss and gaped like a fish out of water with a heavy blush on his face.

"Come on, the prom is about to start!" she said excitedly, and Danny's problem was somehow forgotten as his face mirrored her and the two teens were found skipping toward the school. Only when Danny found himself dancing with her did he realized his other date and almost slap himself.

"Darn it...uh, Sam aren't you tired from all that dancing? Let me get you some punch, would you like some punch? Of course you want some punch, how silly of me, be right back!" Sam could only blink a few times before accepting his reason even though she wasn't tired yet, they barely dance for five minutes. Unknown to her, Danny had swiftly changed into his ghost half and flew as fast as he could to Paulina's house.

Sam wasn't sure what to do as she waited for Danny, heck he was out so long, she took a cup of punch by herself in the end. Then she spotted Star looking unimpressed as her date tried to swoon her... was that Tucker?

And yes, Tucker was there and he somehow successfully asked out Star of all people, and Star has never giving o much a glance to anyone outside of the A-list and her small circle of friends, much less a geek like him. Curiosity peeked, she strutted her way toward them with a smile. "Hey Star, hey Tucker, didn't know you two got out together for this."

Tucker froze at the familiar tone of voice and turned with a scowl only to mimicked Danny's expression of surprise. Safe to say, Sam felt proud to make that little prick gobsmacked from her appearance. Star on the other hand, inwardly sighed in relief that someone could pull her out from him. She pulled her aside and began walking toward the snack table.

"So mind explaining?"

"Well... my prediction came true and Paulina urged me to get a loser for a date and since Foley had asked me I agreed. Though he was a lot less annoying when he asked me out. What about you, did you get a new date?"

Sam furrowed her eyebrow, "Why would I do that?"

Now this time, Star got the same expression as her and before she could point out Paulina's date, Tucker appeared with a fake smile after overhearing them then practically forced Star to get a fruit punch together. Much to Sam's confusion.

Meanwhile, Danny was already back at the gym with Paulina on hand. He was still blank on the plan in getting the amulet back. It was one thing if he had given her, but if someone else did then things were a lot harder. Add to the fact he has to watch over Sam and his dad from screwing up the night, which turned out to be what he was doing now with Mr. Lancer. One overshadowing later, he was able to dodge a bullet before he pulled Tucker away from Star and his technobabble, "Tuck, I need your help!"

"Uh, sorry Mr. Fenton, but I don't know where Danny is."

"Tucker, it's me! Look I want you to watch over Dad, Paulina, and Sam whenever they get in an undesirable situation okay?" Before he got the chance to reply about how unfair it was that he got to bring two dates, Danny pulled himself out from his dad, leaving him disorientated for a moment, and invisibly found Sam walking closely toward Paulina so immediately he set to work her away with a pair of punch on hand.

"Here's your drink!"

"Danny! I was beginning to think you got lost somewhere across town, what took you so long?" Sam wanted to sound concern but she couldn't hold back the small anger bubbling inside from being left along and Danny must have caught it.

"Sorry, it's so crowded here that it's easy to lose sight of you." He looked behind him and saw Paulina was coming over toward them and hastily said, "and all that running around makes me thirsty! Wait here while I get more punch."

"Wait... Danny!" However, he was soon gone with Sam holding the two cups of full punch. She eyed them irritability but soon sigh in the end before downing another cup of it.

And so it was like that back and forth as Danny tries to entertain Sam, distract Paulina, and keeping his dad from his teacher with Tucker's help, but even he knew he can't last long like this.

' _Come on Fenton, think! There's got to be a way to take that necklace off! It's not like I can just phase through that necklace out of her.'_ Danny froze at the sudden thought and actively searched a wall for him to bang his on, "I'm sooooo stupid" his voice muffled by the wall. He rushed back to the crowded floor, squishing his embarrassment, he put his arm around her waist with a smile, "Enjoying the dance? I know I am," Danny lied.

Paulina at the moment was miffed she couldn't find Sam after stealing her date, so she plastered her fake smile trying to please the boy's illusioned, "Of course Danny, you are such sweetheart this whole night, I know any girl would enjoy your company." As she let out her bullshit compliment out, Danny had made her intangible for the amulet to fall and rolled away, but instead of getting it, Danny was caught surprised by an A-List girl like Paulina would compliment him that way.

"You... really think so?"

She giggled, "Of course Silly, why do you think I let you ask me out?" Danny grinned at the compliment, "I'm more surprised why you didn't ask me first," then he turned frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I'm obviously prettier and more popular, Little Miss Manson on the other hand only got money to show her worth otherwise no one would bother a stuck-up like her."

Danny already had his hand away from her as if it had been burned. He couldn't quite believe what he just heard was coming from one of Sam's friends. Sure he knew they got into fights, but he doesn't think a friendly fight would have made her spout out that kind of insult.

Before he could say anything to defend her though, a cold chilly voice cut through the booming music and Danny knew he was screwed when he heard it.

"Is that so?"

Turning around they found one smiling Sam Manson, but that did not hide the fury in her bright violet eyes she pointed at the two.

. . .

 

The innocent amulet, on the other hand, began rolling and kicked a few times across the room, no one bothering to look down or notice a powerful ghost artifact. All except the keen eye of an African-American Techno Geek and immediately swoop it up and could breathe in relief that he and Danny wouldn't need to worry about a fire breathing dragon popping out anytime soon.

He rushed back toward Star, hoping he could make it up to her by the remaining night. Unfortunately, Star didn't feel the same way and had enough if letting a gangly looking redheaded teen Tucker recognized from one of his class (what was his name again? Mest? Jeff?) flirt with her was any indication, and she looked like she was having a good time too!

Tucker wasn't distraught by this, and with a big grin he went over to Star, "Hey Babe, I brought your chocolate mouse like you wanted to."

The two teens looked at one another with their eyes lid lowered and Star tilted her head toward Tucker in a silent plea. Understanding her gesture, the gangly teen sigh before he grabbed on Tucker and pulled him away outside.

"Dude, if you need to talk, just talk, no need to manhandled me!"

"Look, I don't know why Star would think it was a good idea agreeing to go to the dance with a geek like you, but let me make something clear." The teen, Jeff (Let's call him Jeff for now) stood straight and towers over Tucker, making him gulp. "She's. Out. Of. Your League." He looked down and almost laughed aloud when he found an amulet on his hand and took it off his hand.

"Hey, give it back!"

"Huh, nice necklace, thinking of wooing her with gift didn't you? Well get it in your head you actually have no chance with her seeing as you're just a pathetic four eye nerd who couldn't get a girl for the life of him so stop wasting your time." He eyed the amulet critically before he smirked and forcefully put it on him, "There, go date yourself or something, or better yet, go date those lame techs you love so much and sleep with them like a loser you are HAHAHA!"

With his back facing Tucker, he didn't notice the reptile tongue he lashed out, blue scaled skin, and red eyes he showed as he glared at the guy.

. . .

 

 

"Sam...this isn't...I mean...I didn't..." while Danny was busy stuttering, Paulina had used this chance to loop her hand around him with a devious smile that boils Sam's rage further.

"Sammy, I thought you wouldn't be here seeing as you're dateless when Danny asked me out."

" _Shut...up..." Danny hissed_  but it went deaf to her ears.

Sam's reaction was only a slight raise of her eyebrow, "So he did, didn't he?" Her smile still plastered on her face when she turned to him, "then I hope you'll have a great time with her for the rest of the night." Sam strut passed them toward the exit as fast as her heels can carry her and Danny shook Paulina off as he rushed desperately to stop her.

"Sam! Wait, I can explain!"

"Explain what Fenton?" Danny winced, hearing her calling his last name, "that going out with one girl is not enough so you had another behind my back? Or that you think I'm an easy girl for you to fool?"

"NO! Sam, I would never..."

"Then give me one good reason why I should even listen to what you have to say after ditching me almost through the night or even talk to you again?"

She waited for any laughable excuse he would make, but he only opened his mouth for a moment, hoping his reason that Paulina misunderstood and drag him out so he couldn't say no, before closing it when a cold mist almost got out followed by a roar his sensitive hearing heard almost heard by the loud music. Sam scoffed at the nerve the guy had when she thought she knew his silent meant shame, "That's what I thought."

She then turned her heels and left.

Yet more than feeling angry, she felt betrayed. She had thought Danny was different than most guys, that he actually cared for what she thinks and feels than some stupid brainless girl who he could mess around with. Sam held back the tears that were about to break out, refusing to cry for a jerk like him.

Danny wanted more than anything to fix this, but then he breathed out a cold mist and knew he was needed elsewhere. He sighed in resignation before he called out his battle cry listlessly, turning him into Phantom and flew toward the ghostly energy. Danny growled when he was faced with the very dragon he tried to avoid battling but it looks like she could be a well-misplaced aggregation for tonight.

A screamed struck his thought and he found in her claw was a guy that looks to be his source of aggression.

"All right, I don't know who you are but why don't we put that nice guy down and talk our hearts out instead?"

Her reply was a breathing a hot blue fire at him, which he turned intangible to avoid. "Whoa, two words for you: Breath Mint!" He flew up and snag the still screaming guy and on panic hug the guy that could fly and help him from falling few feet from the air. Danny wasn't fast enough to avoid a tail hit before he turned intangible and phase through the bleachers, interrupting Dash flirting a girl.

They soon were seen screaming when the dragon pulled the bleachers up but found the source of his anger was gone, which irritate said dragon.

A few feet behind, Danny turned both him and the guy visible once more. Jeff was no longer screaming but his whole body was shaking as pointed out the dragon.

"What is that?!"

"That..." Danny pointed, "...is a dragon. To be more specific, it's a ghost dragon."

"Ghost?!"

"Yeah, listen... care to tell me how you got a 10-foot tall dragon angry at you?"

" _I don't know!"_ The teen yelled out, _"_ I was just telling off Foley to not get any big idea from asking Star out and then this happened."

 _'Foley? Wait...then that's Tucker!'_ Danny thought as he put two and two together. He mentally groaned that this was going to be a tough battle for him in a different sense. He wasn't sure which one had the worst luck tonight; the guy who made his crush angry, the guy who got turned into a ghost dragon, or the guy that almost got eaten by one. "Okay _,_ that dragon is obviously targetting you. Just... stay out of sight and I'll deal with the dragon."

"Wait!" Danny stopped short from flying and looked back at the freckled red-headed teen, "Who are you...what are you?"

A smirk played on his lips as the name came out as natural as his own name, "I'm Phantom. Danny Phantom." He flew back to face his possible best friend, still not sure if he is, "Hey Tuck, are you in there buddy?"

"TECH NOT LAME!" the dragon roared, confirming Danny's suspicion that it was, in fact, his best friend.

He dodged the claws swipe and yelled out, "Come on Tuck, can't we be reasonable!" Another blast of fire dodged, "Fine! I hate to do this to you big guy." Danny pulled out the Fenton Fisher, "but you ask for it! HEY TUCKER, YOUR TECH IS FAR OUTDATED!"

Danny began to flew upward, followed by an enrage Tucker from behind. He knew the dragon would catch up with him soon, so he flew higher and higher until the school almost looked like a speck and at the last second he made a U-turn downward that the dragon followed. However, wit its massive weight, it could not stopped its momentum without slowing down his fall, giving Danny the chance to flew toward him and cast a line around his neck, down to his torso along with his wings and his legs, securing him in place until he fell own to the ground, bound. Making it easy for Danny to rip the amulet out of his neck.

He breathed a sigh of relief seeing the dragon turning back into his best friend and he crouched down next to him, "Tuck, you okay man?"

"Ugh, what happened?" He groaned, "Did I have a blast at the dance?"

"Well, uh...let's just say you have a roaring time."

. . .

 

Now that the gym was almost barren of people. Danny mentally scolded how stupid he was this whole night. He found Tucker sitting depressingly at a corner and Danny sat beside him with identical expression. The DJ still playing one last song before the dance could unofficially end.

"Rough night?"

"You have no idea."

"Guess we're both dateless, again," Tucker said depressingly. "Sorry that your date didn't pan out, what happened to Paulina?"

"Who cares?" Danny groused, he looked at the amulet at hand and he felt angry. Angry at the ghost that caused this mess in the first place, angry at Paulina who said those mean things about Sam, but most of all... he's angry at himself for ruining his chance, for not being better and upfront with her, for ruining her night he knew she was looking forward to because of his own problems.

"Man... what's a guy got to do to get hooked up around here? Heck, I'm fine with anyone by now!" He exclaimed as he stood from his chair with a crossed arm.

"I want to go to the ball!" Tucker's back went ramrod straight at the echoed voice he was familiar belong to a ghost, he glanced to the side without tilting his head to see the glassy-eyed Medieval Ghost, "Did you Sir just requested for a partner?" Dorothea said hopefully as she took Tucker's hand.

"Uh...wow...when I said anyone is fine, I meant on second thought not just anyone but just... DANNY!"

Danny glanced to the side at the ghost he knew this amulet belongs to, at any other day, he would have given it back and immediately suck her to the thermos. Now, he wasn't in the mood, but Tucker's urging had him came to face to the ghost but something stopped him from doing so when faced with another heartbroken face of a girl who wanted to enjoy a dance. He couldn't take ruining another girl's night so Danny decided to do something a bit stupid.

He cleared his throat to get her attention then showed her the amulet on hand, "I believe My Lady, this is yours?"

"Oh Sir Phantom, you found it, thank you," said the Ghost gratefully, taking the amulet from his hand, "I thank that you had kept your word. This is an ancient heirloom from my family so it means much to me."

Danny began to fidget slightly at what he was about to do until he offered his hand to her, "I believe that you have been searching for a partner to go the ball, yes?"

It wasn't just the ghost who was surprised, Tucker almost trip thinking he misheard what his friend had said.

The ghost smiled delightedly but halted her hand halfway when her face crestfallen, "I...I wished, by this time when I was alive, my family would have a ball at the castle but my mommy had always strictly forbidden me from attending, said that I'm the shame of the family, it so I never got the chance even to this day."

"Well..it's not a ball dance but it is a dance, there's still time for one more and since we're both dateless, I thought why not? Not as fancy as what you medieval guys are used to but.." he leaned his outstretched hand closer, "May I have this dance, Princess Dora?"

The ghost smiled warmly at Danny as she took his hands and say, "You may, Sir Phantom." They linked arms as Danny guide her to the dance floor.

"You've got to be kidding me?! I canceled one of my dates and got ditch by another while you got to spend three dates this whole night!"

"Hey, I'm a half-ghost Tuck, I think I'm qualified to ask a ghost out."

And so the Halfa and the Medieval Princess Ghost slowly dance as they each enjoy their night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello my beloved readers.
> 
> First, let me just say your reviews forced me to write out ideas after ideas because your praises making me both smug and blush.
> 
> Secondly, how was this chapter? It's not my best but it's the longest, I've been meaning to use this as a way to screw Danny's chances with Sam. Because it wouldn't be interesting if their relationship falls in place easily right?
> 
> So I thought, what better way to screw Danny than going on a date with two girls who hate each other guts (at the moment) and got found in the worst possible way.
> 
> I sound a bit sadistic, did I?
> 
> Hey, on the bright side, he befriended Dora faster, that's a plus, right?
> 
> I've thought long and hard how to make the ending unpredictable and almost made Valerie got the amulet and got mad at Tucker for canceling on her. The problem is I have to abandon screwing over Danny over screwing Tucker so I had to pick between two but ended up screwing them both.
> 
> However, then I thought 'who would suspect Tucker turning into a dragon?' So I shake it up a bit and introduced a not-so-mystery character along the way, who was that red-headed teen you might be wondering?
> 
> Tune in next time to find out.
> 
> Hope you enjoy so please comment and give love from kudos!


	5. One of a Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, even though I made Sam the MC to this DP I wrote a lot of Danny's part. I thought I would see him less since I don't intend to rewrite the canon plot other than the fight scenes but I never imagined the changes would be this drastic as I wrote on.

At the cold dead night, Amity Park has succumbed to the silence of night. The small-town hero was currently overwhelmed by the number of ghosts currently swirling around him.

Or rather annoying him.

He was surrounded by what he could tell was a corporate ghost belongs in the same company of a sort. They all had the same hairstyle, suit, and annoying laughter echoed around him as he thought of the best way to round them up all at once. Tucker was there too, standing below him with a brown book on hand.

"Named off the five kingdoms of organisms?" Danny heard him questioned.

"Uhm plants..." he dodged a tackle and sucked the ghost from behind, "...animals..." he flew over slightly, letting two ghosts collide each other before sucking them together, "...bacteria..." Danny grabbed one ghost in a chokehold him, his mind still wondering for the answer "and..uh...corals and vertebrates?" he said, his words beginning to falter.

Tucker smiled sadly at his best friend, "Nice try Danny, but the last two are Protist and Fungi."

Danny blinked in confusion before frowning, "Mushrooms aren't plants?" that momentary lapse was enough opening for the ghost to give him a headbutt with the back of his head, escaping from his clutches. That didn't stop Danny for long as he grabbed the end of his tail and twirled him around like a bad Merry Go Round before throwing the ghost up, giving perfect aim for his to point his thermos and sucked the ghost inside.

"At least I was right 3 out of 5, next question!"

"Okay...here's an easy one; what's the name of the species of a domestic cat?"

"Oh...oh...I know this, it's... _ugh_!" Danny found himself tackled from behind until he was dogpiled by the group of businessmen, Tucker oblivious of his friend's plight still had his nose on the book.

"Nope, the answer is  _Felis domesticus_."

As the ghost relished their short victory, their eyes widen when they heard the ominous whirling machine of the thermos and the dim blue light shining underneath them until they were all sucked in at once inside the thermos. Danny sigh in relief, seeing there was no ghost on sight.

"That's the last of them, tonight went better than I thought," Danny noted happily.

"I'll say, I think we have this double life superhero thing down to pat!"

That's what they thought before Danny's ghost sense went off and clattering noise made them turned their back, witnessing the windows around the warehouse began breaking as boxes were floating out. Danny ready his stance, his green eyes hardened and Tucker shield himself with his book on hand.

Red eyes shone beneath the whirlwind of boxes and Danny gritted his teeth, preparing for whatever ghost that will appear before them. The boxes stop twirling and floating in the middle was... the chubbiest ghost Danny had ever seen. He was a small ghost wearing a blue jumpsuit, a gray beanie hat, and gray gloves. He looked no different to a warehouse worker and Danny might even mistake him for them and would have passed him by if not for his ghost sense or the fact he's floating right now. Danny knew he shouldn't underestimate him, especially after what happened with Noname, but the ghost didn't make it easy for him to do that.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Who am I? You ask who am I? I am the ghost who reigns every package with four-sided planes! I control everything enclosed in a cardboard space and square or rectangular shaped, Be-"

Seeing as he wasn't going to end his 'evil' introduction, Danny kicked him to the warehouse, Tucker looked pointedly at him, "What? He was dragging on too long." Danny passed through to the warehouse and proceed to easily beat him. Tucker followed him to the warehouse but then thought through his entrance and grin.

"I always wanted to do this," he said before kicking the door opened, his hand pointing at Danny when he was in the middle of aiming the thermos at the Box Ghost, "True or False, donkey and horse are in the same species!"

"Uhh..." Danny was in the middle of thinking and the Box Ghost used this chance to tackle him aside, colliding his back to a tower of boxes and got him buried under them.

"I told you there'll be no time to study!" The ghost box cackled before turning intangible and escaping from the warehouse.

Danny pushed away from the boxes and looked ready to fight only to find the Box Ghost was gone. "Great, can you work out the timing better while I was catching the ghost, Tucker? You have to work with me here, you're supposed to be the superhero sidekick!" He glared at Tucker who glared back at him with his book closed.

"Hey, don't blame me on this, you did ask me to help you study for the test tomorrow. Though I would have been cooler if I was holding on the thermos instead."

"Well yeah, but that's so I can hunt ghost a lot more smoothly, not harder."

"Just as smooth as getting a girl if you ask me." Tucker muttered before slapping his hand on his mouth at the slip of his tongue then realized he was heard when he saw Danny now floating with a dejected look, "Oh shoot, sorry Danny, I didn't mean to say..."

"It's fine Tucker, you're right," he sighed wearily, "I'm a failure in ghost hunting and girls"

"Okay dude, I did not say that! Come on Danny, don't get depressed on me! You just let go of one ghost, doesn't make you a failure on both accounts. Look at your Dad! He's a lousy ghost hunter and he got his Dream Woman."

Oh, Tucker tried to cheer him, but his words seemed to miss his mark.

"Which means, I'm just lousy at girls."

"Okay, you're beginning to sound more pathetic Danny. It's been a week and you're still not over it."

"How can I Tucker? When she agreed to go to the dance with me, I actually thought for a moment that I have a chance with her, and I blew it, big time! Maybe it's time I move on from her."

Seeing his best friend being all gloomy, Tucker couldn't help but feel sympathetic. He really wished things would have worked out between him and Sam. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind and Tucker smiled. A grin began to creep up on the boy's face, sliding up next to him while pointing at himself, "Then good thing for you this bad boy has a piece of good news you because I have a plan."

Danny smiled at Tucker's playful yet reassured tone but eyed him curiously. Both oblivious at the watchful eye of the Ghost Zone's 'Greatest' Hunter and listening to snippets of their conversation.

**. . .**

"Sammykins, it's already eleven! Time for bed sweetie" Sam heard her mother called out behind her bedroom door.

"All right Mother!" Sam replied with a Nature Magazine on hand, reading an article on the most endangered animal and where they are now. she closed the magazine and was about to close her balcony but then she felt a cold shiver ran down her spine. She turned left and right in a spur of paranoid thought of a ghost, but found nothing. Seconds tick by and nos signs of anything unusual help her sigh in relief and turned back to her balcony and almost yelped out when she found a figure she didn't saw before.

"Don't scream, I'm just here to talk," the figure said with his hand held up.

Sam blinked a few times before she took in the familiar voice and saw the figure was someone she knew, "Phantom?"

Danny Phantom smiled, happy she recognized him, "I'm glad you remembered me."

"It's hard to forget a ghost that saved my life, what brings you here...oh no, please don't tell me there's a ghost haunting my house?!"

"No, no, luckily nothing like that, just...is it okay if we...talk?"

Sam was surprised by that admission, she wasn't sure how to reply and Danny thought Sam was going to deny him. After all, he's a ghost and practically a stranger. Of course, she'd be wary of him. But Sam noticed him starting to glide away from her and snapped back, "No, wait!" Danny halted while Sam chewed her lips, "I'm okay with that, you know, talking. More than okay actually, I've been wanting to talk to you."

"You do?" Sam smiled and nodded, Danny had to hold himself back from grinning like a loon and sommer-saulting on the air. "What do you want to talk about?"

Unknown to him, Sam was just as excited as talking to him as he to her but with a tinge of fear. It's not every day she got to talk so casually with a real living-well, existing ghost and she was brimming with questions she had on mind for him. At the same time, there was lingering fear inside her. As much as she was excited, ghosts are an enigma. There's no real fact about them so staring at that enigma in the face meaning she won't be able to predict him so she wasn't sure how she could approach him. He may have saved her life, but that doesn't change the fact she was attacked by a ghost as well so she had to be cautious.

"You first, aren't you here for a reason?"

"Oh right, well, you see..." Phantom started rubbing the back of his neck and Sam couldn't help but find that gesture familiar, "You know that Fenton Kid right?"

Sam frown remembering the face of that two-timing black haired scoundrel and his cute baby blue eyes. She shook her head slightly at the word cute and looked back at Danny, "I have nothing to say about him."

"I know, but I do." Sam glanced back at him curiously, "I might sound like I'm giving him an excuse but it was my fault that he went along with Paulina that night."

_What?_

"What?"

"You see, Paulina was wearing a ghost artifact that causes the user to change into a dragon if she was stressed or angered. I had Danny take her to the dance so he could take the amulet away from her by being her date."

Sam's white knuckles were gone, her tightened fist was loosened. Only her hard glare didn't relent, "Then why not canceled on me instead of humiliating me in front of Paulina?" She asked with begrudging tone.

"Because he wanted to go to the dance with you." Sam froze at the sheer genuine tone he had and her glare soften, "I'm sorry that my problem ruined your night, but I hope you'll give him a chance to get to know him when he was only trying to help."

"If he really cared then he should have just told me the truth."

Sam then stood silently, deep in thought. She rolled his words in her head while letting her own words sank into the ghost's head that she did not like being lied to. She wasn't sure she was ready to accept his excuse just yet, then an idea popped up in her head and she turned back to the ghost boy with her I'm-planning-something smile.

"I'll...think about it, but only if you agree to one thing."

"Aaah...sure, name it."

 _Yes!_  "You have to visit me at least from time to time, preferably on the weekends and talked with me!"

Danny blinked confusingly, "That's a weird request you have but okay."

The two smiled at one another but as the silence stretched out longer, they began to awkwardly glance around but themselves.

"So..." Danny drawled.

"So..." Sam copied.

"I guess I'll see you around then." Danny waved goodbye as he started to float away.

"See ya Danny Phantom," Sam called out right before he disappeared. She lingered on her spot of the balcony, staring at the night sky before dragging herself to her bed with a wide grin on her face.

**. . .**

"How did it go?" Tucker asked next to his seat.

"If you mean the test? I could have done worse if you know what I mean."

"No! I mean, How well did Sam take talking to Phantom?"

"Oh that, man you're right about Sam listening to Phantom, my chance with her might not be shot down after all. Thank you, Tuck, you're a genius!" Danny said gratefully, causing Tucker to smirk.

"I know I am. So do you have any idea how you're going to make it up to her?" Danny turned from cheery to gloom the next second. Tucker dreaded his best friend respond, "You...have no idea how to make it up to her do you?"

"It's not like we're close Tucker, I have no idea what she likes or hates and now I need to come up with something to show her I'm being sincere."

Tucker sigh at his best friend antic, "well you gotta think of something. What about your parents? How does your dad apologize when he got your mom mad?"

"They barely got mad with anything really, the only time I saw Mom got mad was when Dad forgot their anniversary but he always just apologize and gave her anniversary present and move on. What about you Tucker? How does your dad apologize when he got your mom mad?"

"Well, my dad usually tried his best in cooking, he's not as bad your parents but just as clueless in cooking except for egg. We usually have egg dishes for the rest of the day when he tried apologizing to her. Plus she showered her with compliments all day until she smiled, like saying she deserved to be in a swimsuit issue for the world to appreciate her beauty, stuff like that."

"At least your mom isn't literally going to be in a cover of a swimsuit issue."

"What do you-wait, back up. You're not saying your mom is going to be in a swimsuit issue, are you?" The silent his best friend gave was telling enough, "Dude, how did that happen? And what kind of magazine that wants your mom in it?"

"Jazz sent a letter to a Genius Magazine, and she said and I quote 'Genius Magazine is for women geniuses, by women geniuses, and about woman geniuses'" Danny mimicked his sister with a snob air around him, "just so she could prove she belongs in a family of geniuses instead of a child of a couple of ghost hunting freaks. I mean, how could she say that? They're not freaks, just...passionate...there's nothing wrong with that right?"

"Dude, I always thought you think your own parents are freak"

"Tucker, I'm best friend with the guy who owns two PDAs and you named them Francesca and Milly, tell me if I have the right to call them a freak?"

Tucker opened his mouth to refute but closed when he took in his words, "Well to be fair, she still doesn't believe in ghost, like you and me, and what did your dad made this morning? The Ghost Blabber?"

"The Ghost Gabber, I'm not sure why Dad thought he needed that when as far as I know ghost speaks the same language as us."

"Hey, it might work on a French Ghost who's obsessed with bread."

The two friends laughed but were cut abruptly short by Mr. Lancer's arrival. His eyes critical over his charge, while looming over them with a stack of test paper on hand, "Something funny Mr. Fenton? Mr. Foley?"

"Uh... no Sir," Danny replied weakly.

"Well laugh while you still can Mr. Fenton, because I don't think you can afterward when you see your test score is..."

.

.

.

"I got a D?!" Danny cried before buried his face on his hand in frustration, "All this ghost hunting is taking away all my study time."

"So much for the Fentons being a family of geniuses," Tucker commented as he roamed the internet with his PDA.

"I can't get a "D" in biology. My parents will kill me."

"Not unless you pull your grades up, you still can have extra credit by doing a biology assignment."

"I don't have time for assignment Tucker..."

"Actually, you do Danny, you just got to manage it better."

Few feet behind them, Sam was looking through the library when she caught the two last boys she wanted to see. She inwardly scoffed and was about to walk away when she was then reminded of the sad pleading look Phantom had given her last night. She wasn't sure if it was fair for him to give her that sad kicked puppy look on her and hearing his side of the story did give her heart a chance of forgiveness for Danny. She wasn't giving it to him unless he tried though.

She was so lost in her own thought, her legs had moved her closer to the two and accidentally she began hearing their conversation.

"What kind of assignment?"

"I don't know, let me check that out for you and see if we can find something easy enough for you to pull your grades up." He stood up and walked to one of the vacant computers in the library while Danny kept lamenting over his 'D' in his biology test and Sam saw this too.

His eyes then caught the figure of his crush walking behind him at one of the aisles. She shifted her body so she could avoid locking eyes with him. Both of them were unmoving and silent until Danny broke into a sheepish grin. "Hey Sam, how's it..." He noticed she was avoiding eye contact with him and stayed silent as she glossed the bookshelves, "...going?"

Danny began to feel even more dejected and thought his talk with Phantom was useless. She did say she would 'think' about it. She hadn't decided to do it or not. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't sure how to approach him, he looked trouble and Sam felt she wanted to help him but her pride and stubbornness didn't allow her and she also hadn't forgiven him. She then looked up to one of the books she's been searching for and an idea sprung in her head.

Danny who was still looking down, literally, has his sight changed from his pathetic test into a page of a book about a Purple-Back Gorilla. He blinked a few times before looking up and find Sam sitting across him with her nose buried in an identical book.

"Uuuh..."

"There's a biology assignment about researching on the few extremely rare creatures, if you could find something no one ever found before on the gorilla then you most likely will passing grade in the end"

"Why...are you?"

"Also, I happened to be very fond of seeing an extremely rare gorilla up close but my parents would never let me stay up late alone for my personal agenda." She met his eyes for the first time in a week and a sly smile crept on her face, "So how about it? You get extra credit for your biology and I get to see Sampson up close and personal, a win-win for the both of us."

"Sampson?"

"The gorilla, are you paying attention?"

"No...I mean yes...I mean aah, what time are we checking the gorilla?" She showed him her own genuine smile and Danny was starstruck by her smile, he absentmindedly agreed to see her after school.

After she left and Tucker came up to him with his own set of assignments he could take, but before he could recommend any of them, Danny showed him a page of the purple back gorilla.

Tucker was a bit irritant that he couldn't showcase his effort before Danny could decide his assignment but relently sighing in the end. "I guess you want me to leave you two on lonesome then..."

"What?! Are you nuts Tucker? I can't be alone with her! I might say something stupid and who will have my back then? Besides you're my time-keeper, remember? So you have to stick by me!"

The two smiled at one another and fist bump before they left. Missing the ghost that came afterward and eyeing the prey of his prey with a diabolical smile.

**. . .**

The Amity Park Zoo and into the domed gorilla habitat, where Sampson, the purple back gorilla, is being watched by Sam, Danny, and Tucker from an observation tower.

While Sam was in giddy checking out the gorilla who kept scratching his butt. Both Danny and Tucker were tired of just doing nothing but watch. Who knew getting bored could be exhausting?

"Hey Tucker, how is it possible for a girl to get excited in watching a gorilla scratch his butt for... how many hours?" Danny yawned.

Tucker yawned back, "Six hours, and to answer your question is that girls never make sense Danny," Tucker leaned closer and whispered with a mischievous smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows, "But at least you get to watch someone else than just the gorilla right Danny?"

"I... don't know what you're talking about." He said that but he looked pathetic when his eye subconsciously darted back to his crush. Seeing her eyes lighted in excitement and the giddy smile she had he doesn't usually see in school, he couldn't help but feel content seeing his crush happy like this. Six hours of boring gorilla watching was good enough payment for this.

"Hey!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, haha, what?"

"I'm going to check out the gorilla up close okay."

"Uhm, are you sure that's a good idea, Sam? I know its cage but the gorilla is pretty famous for its...violence tendency so shouldn't we watch... I don't know, from afar?"

"Pssht, they just blew that out of proportion because of the scientist's fault, any smart being would be angry when you're forced out of your home and being caged. A magnificent and beautiful creature should be let out in the wild instead of such cramped and bearing space." Sam said with great conviction, "In fact, I'm going to go down there right now," without waiting for his response, she dashed down the stairs toward where the cage was.

"Wha- Sam!" Danny called out but was ignored, making him panic for a small moment. "Oh great, come on Tucker, let's..." he turned only to find his best friend on the floor, asleep with a bliss smile and Danny frown at him.

While Danny was working on waking Tucker up, he felt there was something off between the two of them and couldn't quite place it. It was then he realized that this whole day Sam had not once called his name. He had thought that she had forgiven him but obviously she only gave him the chance to fix his messes just like she promised to Phantom. Danny groaned at how stupid he was to miss the subtle cold treatment.

Sam has eagerly observed the extremely rare gorilla up close. Taking in all the features and his beauty, suddenly the two locked eyes and the gorilla suddenly dashed to her side, pounding at the cage and startled her. His distressed cry was strong and loud as he kept pounding at the cage, "What is it you wondrous being?"

His only reply was continuous grunting as he pointed at her.

"Is something wrong?"

She turned around and gasped as she found herself face to face with what her first thought was a ghost. Maybe a robot or cyborg could have popped up as well when looking at the robotic metal body, but the flaming mohawk and floating body just screamed ghost to her.

Oh, did I forgot to mention she literally screamed it?

Her mouth was quickly shut with ectoplasm, and the ghost reached for her arm and held her hostage. "Quiet Child, as bait you will remain silent as I wait for my prey to come."

' _Prey? What prey? What is he talking about?'_

Sam tried to struggle out but she couldn't seem to even budge the ghost's metal hand. Not a moment too soon, she met with Danny Phantom once more, his bright green eyes showed anger and his fist clench on his side.

"At this point, I would have asked who are you, but right now I only care in kicking your butt and have her released."

"Ah, Ghost Child. I knew you would come if I held your prey."

That got the two teens looked at him confusingly.

" _Mmm-mph_?"

" _My prey_?"

"Yes your prey, you seem very intend in 'getting the girl' I thought stealing your prey would easily pull you out in the open."

Danny and Sam locked eyes and the ghost boy had green blush colored his face, "Hehe, I have no idea what he is talking about."

The ghost aimed his hand toward Danny and shoot out a net that captured him, surprising him and Sam muffled cry was heard when he was caught. "Before I took you back as my prize, let it be known to you that I, Skulker, collector of all rare and unique has captured the Ghost Boy!"

Sam was angry at this, not only was her savior was going to be captured but he was going to be caged like an animal! Sam was so focused on the two ghosts she was late to realize Samson was still pounding on the cage and he kept on letting out a loud cry. Looking down, Sam got an idea as she struggled harder under his capturer's arm and threw her shoe to the OPEN button of the cage, releasing the gorilla.

Immediately, the gorilla pounce on the ghost. Forcing Skulker to release Sam and she couldn't scream while she was falling until Danny caught her midair.

"We have got to stop meeting like this" he quipped.

He helped to pull out the ecto-goo on her mouth, "I thought you got captured!"

"Well the net wasn't intangible-proof so thank god for that," Phantom said as he let her down back to the ground.

Sampson suddenly jumps on him and knocks him down, then starts hitting him. Skulker blocks one of the hits, then kicks Sampson off of him. Sampson once again attacks Skulker and spins him in the air with his feet, then kicks him off and bites his wrist armor. Skulker shoots ectoplasm onto Sampson's eyes from a small wrist blaster, causing Sampson to back off and hold his face. Skulker then goes to shoot a net at him, but Sampson grabs it mid-air and twirls Skulker around by _it._

"Wow, this is better than wrestling!" Danny excitedly say, eliciting a glare from the girl beside him and he became hesitant with his word, "Ah...I mean..aa, this is animal cruelty and people should be punished for enjoying it!" Phantom smiled too innocently yet her glare only turned inquisitive.

Finally, the net snapped and they watched Skulker was thrown, far far away into the night sky until he was only but a small glint.

"That ended swell, now for the gorilla." Coming up from behind, Phantom flew toward the cage with the gorilla on hand and when he finally put him on place, he pushed the CLOSE button and he was caged once more. He turned to Sam who he found was looking longingly at the opposite button, her hand was edging against it and he didn't need to be a mind reader to know what's on her mind.

"No Sam, you are not releasing that gorilla out," he stated with a scolding tone.

Sam blushed and laughed off his accusation, "What, me? Why would you ever think of that?"

"Oh sure, surely Miss Perfect Manson would never think of rebelling and release the gorilla to its righteous wild place, that would be prosperous, what would people think if they did." He couldn't help the smirk played on his lips when he pointed out something they both know it's true.

Of course, Sam isn't going to let him have the last laugh, "and surely the Ghost Boy isn't having a crush on a lively girl that he even thinks of, what did that ghost said again? Oh, 'Getting the girl?'"

This time, Danny's smirk fell and was the one who blushed. He forced out an awkward laugh as he looked anywhere but Sam, "Uh, let's just pretend this never happens, deal?"

"Deal."

While Phantom disappeared and flew to who knows where. Sam walked back up to the observatory tower to find Danny still having a hard time waking up Tucker. He turned to find Sam was back and forced out a smile, "Hey, so how was looking at Sampson up close?"

"It was... memorable." she said simply, as if she hadn't just been held hostage by a ghost and released a wild gorilla on the loose in the past 10 minutes, "Now wake up the Dweeb, I think we have enough watching for one night."

"Couldn't agree with you more."

**. . .**

"Okay, so let me get this straight. A ghost hunter who hunts ghost held Sam hostage to get to you, then he got trashed by a 400-pound gorilla in the span of 10 minutes I was asleep and you didn't bother to tell me until the next day after you almost got caught by him again?!" Tucker cried but not as the two walking up to school. Yesterday Tucker had the privilege of meeting with said ghost hunter after they got home to Danny's house and he was devastated that Francesca is now in his hands.

"I thought after the thrashing he got, he would leave me alone. Plus, I was pretty tired with the assignment so I thought of telling you today, not that I got enough sleep wit him almost bugging me all night. I don't know why he kept flying off in the middle of the battle though."

Tucker was about to comment but Danny was suddenly thrown into an alleyway and he found himself tied by bolas. The two boys gasped when Skulker emerged from the ground in glee, ready to fully claim his prey when the PDA on his wrist began beeping. The monitor showing the word 'GO TO CLASS!' and the hunter was forced to do just that. The bolas soon dissipated, and the two boys only looked at one another confusingly.

"Do you think my PDA does something other than upgrading him?" He queried.

"I don't know, but if possible I like to find out without being late for the first period."

Unfortunately, they were late for 10 minutes, fortunately, the teacher hadn't appeared so they were saved. Danny without much thought sat on a corner seat beside Sam, which was the only other vacant seat available.

"Hey, Sa..."

"Unless your talk has any relevant with class material then I kindly suggest you don't say anything at all unless it's necessary."

He was shot down so fast before he could say anything, Danny was left in a state of shock for half a period. It also confirmed Danny's thought that she hasn't fully forgiven him and that he needed to make sure his chance his alter ego had given him.

Since then, almost in every transition in class did Danny had to try appealing to Sam but at the same time, he had to deal with ambushes by the persistent ghost.

**-After 2nd Period-**

"Hey Sam, that bag and book you have looked pretty heavy? Do you want anyone to carry it for you?"

"I can take care of myself, thanks." She quickly dismissive him.

"But..." he was cut when he was found caught upside down on the ceiling, facing a floating, grinning skulker.

"I will now claim my...record of purple back gorilla mating ritual."

His success was short-lived when his wrist began beeping and he flew away once more while crashing through the ceiling.

**-After 3rd Period-**

"Hey Sam, I've got this delicious box of egg tart my sister made. Would you want some?"

"I'm on a diet, thanks." She said without so much a glance.

"Well, so much for gifts." Tucker took the box from Danny's hand and began eating it for himself. Danny dejectedly opened his locker to grabbed his book when out came a series of glowing chains jump out of it and wrap around Danny's torso and arms.

Skulker materialize out of a blue mist, his ecto-blaster aiming at him, "I have you now Child," he said before his PDA began beeping on cue. "What? Go to the newsstand and purchase a magazine with an article about purple-back gorillas?"

Cue the jetpack activating and had him fly away once more.

**-Bathroom Break-**

"Nothing happened!"

"But Danny..."

"Nothing!"

**-Lunchbreak-**

"Danny, this food is scheduled to be eaten so you better not waste your food and time!"

"I can't just eat Tucker, he could be anywhere!" Danny then saw her passed him by with her tray of food and quickly cut her off as he prepared the words he practiced, "Hey Sam, you look beautiful today. Though I'm sure someone said that already, doesn't make it less true, I mean...aaa"

"Hmm, I give B for effort but that's not the words I want to hear."

She walked passed a confused Danny, and before he could ask more of what she meant, Tucker had opened his carton of milk and a glowing blue orbs pops out and wrapped Danny's head.

Skulker stood on the bleacher with a confident smirk, "Now, boy, once more, I, Skulker, shall...take photos of a gorilla?"

I don't need to tell you what afterward, do I?

"At least he's a regular" Tucker commented.

"Yeah, almost like a schedule. What's the next thing you have scheduled for me, Tucker?"

"Gym...why?"

Danny's theory was quickly proven at the gym and anticipate the ambushed beforehand and got Dash to open his locker, and an ectoplasmic goo shoots out and traps Dash in a bubble on the wall and his eyes covered.

He quickly found Danny and Tucker's hiding place and was ready to shoot them when his PDA beeped (again) and he was already given in to fate when he was forced to fly away.

"When Skulker put your PDA into his technology, he became bound to my schedule. He has to go where I was going to go next. _"_ Danny took Tucker's PDA and checked that his next schedule was visiting the gorilla's natural habitat, a playful smirk was made as he did, "Which means... It's time for the hunter to become the hunted."

Tucker couldn't help it, he laughed "The hunter becomes the hunted? Dude, you just tagline from like six different movies!"

"Tucker, please... don't ruin my moment." He deadpanned before smirking as an idea formed in his head, "Come on, we've got to do something a little ahead of schedule."

The two began changing and dashed out, forgetting the trap jock in the middle of the locker room. His cry for help sadly muffled by the ecto-goo.

**. . .**

"All right you know the plan right?" Danny asked in his ghost form as he gave the costume to Tucker.

"Hello... I helped make the plan, remember? I know the plan."

"What plan?"

The two boys shrieked in high pitch at the sudden additional voice and turned to find Sam, hands on her hip, looking unamused and suspicious.

"SAM, what are you doing here?" Phantom asked her in shock.

"What am I doing here? I should be the one asking you that, I promised Danny and Tucker to observe the gorilla together for today as well."

"We did?" Danny leaned into Tucker, who checked his PDA and solemnly nodded.

"Why haven't I heard of this?" Danny used accusing tone at him.

Tucker fumbled with his PDA nervously as he admitted, "Uh, cause I may...have...forgot about it...ups?"

"Yeah, ups." Danny deadpanned at Tucker.

"So!" Sam took their attention, "mind telling me what you're both up to and Tucker, why are you holding a purple back gorilla costume? I swear if that was skinned by a real gorilla I will..." she started growling.

"Wow, wow, Sam... no need to get your imagination run wild. We're only here to catch a ghost."

She blinked, "You're catching a ghost?"

"Yes and this..." Phantom motion the costume, "...is part of the plan."

Sam looked intently at the costume that displayed the back of the purple back gorilla, she then turned to Phantom, then to Tucker, then back at Phantom, "All right, I'm in."

"Wait, what?!" The two boys chorused.

"You're trying to catch the same ghost from yesterday, right? He owes me from taking me hostage so I deserve a little payback. Besides, this costume looked heavy for a skinny guy like you to hold for long."

"Hey, I resent that!" Tucker

"Wait, but you... NO! I won't allow it, it's too dangerous!"

"Please, you're not my parent. I do whatever I want and for your information, I'm an orange belt in Karate so I can take of myself thank you very much. You should be worried about this geek instead."

"Hey- okay point taken."

"Tucker's is not part of the plan, he is the plan so I need him. You, on the other hand, are not and know nothing about ghost nor have you ever handled a ghost before."

"Then let me help you handle a ghost so I can have the experience now," Sam insisted.

"Uh...guys..."

"You almost died at one ghost attack and was brainwashed in the other, in whose right mind that I would let you get involve after that kind of experience?"

"Guys..."

"Well maybe if someone doesn't cuddle me and let me help, I could actually make a difference!"

"Ugh, lovebird spat."

"WE'RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!" The two cried at Tucker.

Tucker blinked, surprised at the respond and almost snickered, "Well that's one way to call them out" he whispered under his breath before pointing out his PDA, "I don't mean to interrupt, but Skulker's going to come any second so I suggest we took our place."

The two were stuck on a staredown for another second before Phantom sigh in surrender, "Fine, I don't have time for this. Just hold the costume with Tucker and wait for him to make a move. Don't do anything else!"

"Fine!" She huffed out.

Indeed, like Tucker said, it was soon after that they heard the sound of a jet landing and the held still while at some point of time walked around so they don't look immobile and let him sensed a trap.

"Ugh, holding this up is cramping my arm," Sam quietly complaint.

"Well you were right about one thing though, this costume is a bit heavy, I don't know how long I could hold it out alone without getting strained muscle in my arm."

"So...why isn't Danny here?" She curiously asked, seeing it's weird that his best friend wasn't by his side.

"Danny? Oh! Right...Danny, he uh...Phantom wouldn't let him come, said he had his hands full enough with me."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Typical for him to give in under pressure."

"I see you haven't forgiven him yet."

"I'll forgive him after he said the five-letter word." She swiftly stated, "and you should tell him to toughen up a bit more, what kind of best friend would just listen to a ghost and leave you just like that."

"In his defense, Danny could toughen up if he wanted to at times you know. Remember when I say why Dash kept beating him up?"

Sam's body became tensed at the memory, Tucker never finished his story on that and she wasn't curious enough to ask.

"Yeah, you said it was because of me."

"Like I said, that's half true but listen..."

His words were interrupted when they began to hear Skulker complaining aloud, they were sure he was now behind them and Sam felt her grip on the suit tighten of facing her back to a ghost.

"You were supposed to be the bait, you stupid animal."

That fear quickly turned into rage at the insult he dared point out at such beautiful animal, so she turned along with Tucker, surprising the hunter that the ape was a fake.

"Sampson's not stupid!"

"He's also not here." Tucker held up his PDA and stylus with a wide grin,  _"_ Can I take a message?"

"You two, you'll pay for this!" He aimed multiple weapons at them and Sam began to feel nervous, she turned to Tucker for their next step but he only stood confidently, PDA still on hand as if gloating.

"Oh, I don't think so..."

Two beeps later, everything made sense when Skulker did as what Tucker's PDA told him to do, which was pushed up.

"You really are the plan!"

"Damn right I am!"

"Stop! Stop! I can't...stop!" Skulker's tome was almost pleading as he kept his pushed up, much to their amusement, including phantom who was now hovering over him.

"I can help you with that"

He flies at Skulker and punches him into the wall of the habitat. Danny then punches him five more times, as pieces of metal fly off his suit. Skulker dodges another punch and aims an eco-blaster on his shoulder at Danny.

"Na-ah-ah, 10:11, polished weapon."

Skulker's blaster turned into a buffer and he starts screaming as it polishes his face. Making Sam laughed aloud at that but caught herself.

"Knock it off Tucker, you need shut him down!" Danny ordered his friend.

"Relax...everything is totally under con-" they all missed when Skulker aimed his other hand toward the PDA that's being waved and shot an arrow at it, pinning it into a three, "-trol? Milly! I had 4 more payments for her!"

"Tucker, you're fired." Sam wasn't sure what he was fired for, but at that moment she sure knew he deserved it.

"Very well," Skulker growled. "I planned on simply capturing you and letting you live the rest of your life in a cage. But now, I will rest your pelt at the foot of my bed."

 _"_ Okay, that's just wrong, gross, and totally inhuman which is something you should be trialed to prison for the lack of moral your so-called hunt you seem to be proud of," Sam began scolding him, much to the Hunter's confusion.

"What...

"And letting him lived in a cage was no better, how do you think Sampson feels being in a cage? How about you try living in one and be in their shoe for once instead of the other side of the cage!"

"But..."

"He's a beautiful animal and he deserved to roam free which should be protected from the likes of you"

"I..."

"Should be ashamed."

Danny had used his time being distracted and called up his purple back friend, surprising skulker at the sudden attack from behind. Sampson continuously hits Skulker and rips his armor apart, as Danny, Sam, and Tucker both cheer him on and wince at the hits. Sampson then throws Skulker, whose arm has been ripped off, down on the ground.

 _"_ I didn't know you learned his language?" Sam said, impressed by her ghostly friend.

"Well, sure, all he does is this." He gestured his scratching butt, making her laugh once more. Then he looked back at Tucker who was wearing his thinking face, "Hey Tuck, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing...just...I still don't understand why a ghost needed a high-tech battle suit."

That statement made the other two thoughtful as well as they continue watching

Sampson continued to rip Skulker's armor apart and throws pieces of it over the trio's heads from off-screen. Skulker's head armor is thrown and Danny catches it. Two small green legs are kicking out from inside the head.

"Let me go! I am the Skulker! The Skulker! Do you hear me? Fear me!" Said Skulker, or...they think it was, hearing it was squeakier. Danny pulled the blob out and the three took their time staring at the once feared ghost.

"Oh..." Danny said.

"My..." Tucker let out.

"God..." Sam finished.

"I am the greatest hunter in all the ghost world. You will all fear me," proclaimed the little green blob.

Danny smirked at the ghost and hold out his hand, "Thermos, please."

Tucker obliged his friend request, and after handing him the thermos, Phantom had a second thought before turning back to Sam. "You know, you were okay standing up to Skulker like that even though never fought a ghost, it was brave of you."

Sam scoffed at him but that was only a guise to hide her blush, Sam was complimented for a lot of things throughout her life; Pretty, smart, perfect, dependable and she had taken them all for granted.

But never brave.

So for the first time in a long time, she was proud of being complimented and took it to heart, "Well I can't always be a damsel in distressed, that's just not my style."

"Then does the damsel would like the honor of finishing the job?" Danny offered her the thermos

Sam gasped slightly for a moment before smiling at him while she took the thermos and pointed at the small blob ghost who still wouldn't shut up.

"You haven't seen the last of me! I shall capture you all. You shall all be mine. Mine, do you hear?!"

"Back to the zone, you creep!" She pushed the button Skulker was sucked into the thermos, the capped it off. The trio looked at one another with a satisfied smile, unknown to the boys, something within Sam changed tonight.

Today, for the first time she captured a ghost. Today, she experienced an indescribable thrill. Today, she felt honored for finishing a job. All those first-time feelings became something she'll cherish deeply and planted a seed for a choice she'll one day have to face.

**. . .**

After a long night walk home, Sam dragged her feet to the couch. Tired beyond belief from the effort and stressed, had she look in the mirror, she would have seen the satisfied smile she couldn't wipe off. She was sure if her mother saw her looking so unruly and she would have a fit.

But for tonight, Sam didn't care.

She opened the door and was surprised to find Danny, he was grinning nervously as he kept rubbing the back of his neck.

"Danny, what a surprise? I wasn't expecting you."

"I know, I just realize that I should have done this a while ago instead of giving empty compliments, not that they aren't true, they all are. I realized that wasn't what you wanted to hear but I was too stupid and blindsided to realize and part of me thought I wasn't in the wrong that night when I should have told you the truth without getting you humiliated and..." he looked up at Sam and was surprised to find her smiling at him, arm crossed and her side leaning against the door.

"Go on..." she urged him.

Danny gulped and finally let out the two words, "I'm sorry."

Sam sighed fondly at him, "Took you long enough, honestly, boys are so stupid and thick-headed sometimes to say the obvious."

"Harsh, but fair," Danny said, which then caused them to laugh.

Once they were done laughing, their eyes met with one another. No words were exchanged for those few seconds as an understanding came between them.

"So friends?"

Sam smiled in reply, "Friends."

Danny turned to leave, but Sam stopped him at the last second, "Wait! Danny, what about your assignment? You're still getting a D at this rate."

"Oh, don't worry, you'll be surprised what you'll find tomorrow." He winked at her and Sam find out she couldn't wait for tomorrow, because the one thing she knew for a fact was that Danny Fenton is full of surprises.


	6. Gotta Catch 'Em All

Danny woke up from the cold temperature of his room. He tried to snuggle deeper into his blanket but it didn't feel warm enough to counter the chilly room.

"Uhm...who turned on the air conditioner?" he moaned with bleary eyes opened.

But then his eyes were shot wide open when he fully take in his room because last he remembered, it wasn't covered in snow. He rubbed his eyes as he fully took in his snow-white room and looked up in shock that his room was covered in snow.

No, to be more precise. His room was snowing. Dark cloud filling the room's ceiling and with white cold snowflake falling until the room was no different to a winter wonderland and autumn barely started!

Danny felt a weight shifting on his bed then locked eyes with a strange creature on his bed, their eyes never left one another until Danny yelped and tumbled down to the floor. He quickly got up with a ready stance before-whatever it was-could do anything to harm him. Yet it stood still, without any sign of wanting to fight, which only bring to confuse Danny.

He wasn't sure if he was dreaming because as far as he knows, the thing in front of him wasn't anything he had seen or heard before. A small black creature with an ovoid body. It has circular, light blue eyes, wide teeth, and spherical hands and feet that lack digits. It is covered with a yellow cloak that gives it a triangular outline. The coat has an orang rim and has three orange diamond markings on the back.

He then took the time to examine the creature in his room, while Danny might not be an A-grade biology student but he was sure no animal like that exists. Yet despite that, he was strangely familiar with the creature, as if he'd seen it a few times somewhere but can't remember where. Danny's eyes turned neon green then noticed the dim green glow surrounding it, showing that it was something ghostly...but not a ghost. Not when his senses didn't go off around it.

"Okay, what are you supposed to be?"

"Snorunt!" it happily cried.

The creature's cry felt familiar in his head but then his phone rang, cutting him and almost jumped while keeping his eyes on the ghostly creature, reaching up and accepting the call from his best friend.

"Hey Tucker, you won't believe what I got in my..." his words drifted off when he had the slight panic-or was it excitement?-of his friend's words and his eyes bulged out, "You having a what in your WHAT?!"

.

.

.

When Sam woke up she always expects two things; her mother waking her up in god awful morning and the sun shining down on her face from the opened curtain. She did not, however, expect a mewling cry and the jumping weight on her bed.

She opened her eyes and found a fox-like creature with wide black beady eyes looking at her excitedly. "Wha...?"

"Eevee! Eevee!" The little bundle of joy began climbing down and running around in circles excitedly like a real puppy. Only as far as she knew, no puppy was anything remotely like that. And when I mean that, I mean fully brown fur with the tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar are cream-colored, short slender legs with three small toes. In her 14-year-old life, she had seen dogs from various pedigree but never one like it.

But it has to be a dog, what else can it be?

She was still half asleep and confused that she could only let out a loud groan. She looked back up at the creature still sitting obediently with a cock head. "I'm not reliving playing house again, so I don't care if you make that sad puppy eyes but I will kick you out so come on!"

She quickly changed after a shower and lifted Eevee (since it only says Eevee, she decided to call it that) and brought it outside before her parents knew what she had on hand. They'd be livid if they misunderstand she had brought in a stray to her home.

It was still early morning, the streets were pretty much empty and she was jogging her way to the park. Once she's there, she placed Eevee on the ground, a stern look on her face.

"Now look, I don't know where you come from but now I want you to just...go!" Yet little Eevee kept rooted in place while looking up at Sam expectantly. "No...ugh...don't look at me like that! Just go! Shoo! Away You!"

Had people past her by, they would have ignored the scene of a teenage girl flailing her arm to shoo away a stray.

Instead of passerby though, what instead looking at her was a 13-foot long shadow that has a large hood beneath its head, long shining white fang and paralyzing glare aimed at her back. Seeing a hostile shadow, Eevee bared its teeth menacingly but that only shocked Sam instead.

"Hey, take it easy, I didn't mean to offend you," she said while taking a step back, but that proved to be the wrong move when her back touched a towering figure behind her and she froze. Daring herself, she turned and wished she hadn't. Seeing an angry pattern face painted on its hood was scary enough, but seeing the biggest purple snake she seen in her life was enough to warrant a scream.

The snake slithered out his tongue, arched its back, then lunge. Sam could only block it with her hand but inwardly surrender to its attack. But a high pitch bark had her opened her eyes and found the brown puppy, Eevee to be biting down the snake. The snake instead of hissing it cried 'Arrrrrrrrrbok' which confused Sam even more. Arbok Flailed its tail and threw Eevee away but she (Sam figured its a she) turned midair and gracefully fall on its leg, ready to pounce back any time.

"You...you saved me." Sam found herself saying, and she didn't know if she imagined it but Eevee turned and smiled at her, replying with her cry as if to say 'you're welcome'

Eevee turned back to glare and Arbok took it as a challenge, he opened its mouth to shoot out small missiles of poison sting which Eevee used agility to dodged but that only led her where Arbok got a clear shot for its Poison Tail. Eevee was throwback harder and had a hard time getting up before getting a mud shot right on her face. Eevee tried to wipe the gunk off her eyes but that opening was enough for Arbok to snatch her by the tail in a tight wrap, making the poor girl cry.

"EEVEE!" Sam wasn't sure what to do, she had been watching two obvious-not-normal-animals battlings abnormally, she had been transfixed until hearing the obvious pain cry of Eevee and she looked left and right in search for help, but other than the garbage man who she called out but alas was too busy listening to his walkman.

Eevee cried once more in pain and Sam just blurt out the first thing she had in mind, "Eevee, BITE!"

Eevee compiled and bite at Arbok's tail, eliciting a cry from said snake and let her go from its wrap. Sam sighed in relief, but she was still staying vigilant. She noticed Eevee was still having a hard time seeing and that snake, Arbok was ready to lunge another attack.

"Eevee, ugh, I don't know if you understand me, but you seem you can so trust on my words so we can get out of this mess together alright?"

"Eevee," Eevee responded with a firm tone.

Arbok strike with an Iron Tail from above,

"LEFT!"

He missed and tried swiping from the right,

"JUMP!"

Missing again, Arbok hissed in frustration and tried lunging headfirst.

"Jump forward and when you land, bite down as hard as you can!"

Eevee did just that, and landing onto the snake's hood, she bit on his head, which was a critical hit.

"Good girl!" Sam couldn't help but say.

Arbok flailed his head but that only made Eevee bite down harder to keep her latch on, but her strength could only hold for so long before she was thrown to the air.

But the mud on Eevee's eye was now cleared and with a clear shot of her target, Eevee opened her mouth, and focus to make a black ball of dark energy before shooting headfirst to Arbok.

Eevee landed with a bright smile at the same time Arbok fell with swirly eyes. Celebrating her first victory, she jumped up and down crying out her name while Sam stood, dumbfounded and jaw dropped at what she just saw.

' _Can anybody please tell me what's going on?!_ ' She mentally wailed to herself.

.

.

.

Tucker climbed down happily down the stairs, why happy you might be wondering. That's because he only needed to open his bedroom door to smell his mother's special sausage and egg being cooked downstairs for his breakfast.

Seeing his super-smeller was right once again, he kissed his mother's cheek and greeted 'good morning'.

He turned searching for his dad and found he was watching the morning news but that made him frown in confusion.

"Hey Dad, didn't you say the power cable was chewed off by a mouse yesterday?"

"Hmm?" Maurice turned to his son, "Wasn't you the one who bought a new one? I turned it on out of habit today and it works."

Feeling more confused, Tucker looked at the back of the TV.

Then promptly stood in front of his father, blocking his view, snatched the remote and turned it off while plastering a fake smile.

"Dad! Shouldn't go get ready for work by now?"

"I still got more than an hour till work."

"Doesn't mean you can't go now. Like they said, the early bird catches the worm!"

After pushing his dad to the dining room and eat their fill for breakfast. Tucker was unusually eating faster than normal and drinking unusually slower as he watched his father intently to finished his own food, making both his parents uneased.

Once he's finished, he tried to not-so-subtle force his dad out by escorting him and watched him ride his car to work with a plastering smile and as he wished him a safe trip work. He dashed back to the living room and confirming he was not dreaming, he found a sleeping ball of a triple metal ball attached with one another, each with a pair of magnet and corkscrew attached. Tucker would have think of it a giant replica if not for the unmistakable lively three blinking eyes watching him.

No matter what anyone says, Tucker was sure without a doubt that this was a Magneton.

How it could have got stuck between the wall and TV was beyond him. However, while his mother was busy washing the dishes. He quickly pushed the TV aside a few inches and pulled the questionable Pokemon aside and ran toward the door.

"Tucker honey, where you going?"

"Nowhere Mom, don't try and find me!" He yelled as head toward the garage, now empty after his dad brought out the car and pulled down the garage door. Sighing in relief, knowing no one could watch, his hand loosen, and let Magneton floated a few inches away from him.

Magneton looked at Tucker.

Tucker looked back at Magneton.

Magneton let out an incomprehensible rhythm.

Tucker looked unimpressed, "I need to talk with Danny."

He flicked open his phone but then a menacing growl made him yelp and almost drop his phone. Hearing that the growl came from a corner, Tucker quickly flipped on the second lamp and his breath hitched when he found himself being glared by a very hungry looking black wolf looking pokemon he knew was called Mightyeena.

Or at least, to Tucker, he looked hungry. He wasn't sure, all he knew it was scary looking.

However, as quickly as the fear came. He then locked eyes with Magneton once more, then he turned to Mightyeena, then back at Magneton.

He blinked at Magneton.

Magneton blinked back.

Then Tucker made the biggest, pardon my language, shit-eating grin that crept on his face as he pulled out his PDA and pressed the video recording button.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?" Tucker asked.

Magneton let out a rhythmic cry that Tucker could only guess as affirmative, the steel/electric pokemon floated in front of him and facing the Dark-type Pokemon, making his grin grew even wider if that was possible as he was about to do what every game geek ever wished they could do.

"Magneton used Thunderbolt!"

And so the battle ensued.

He was halfway through the battle when his free hand had pressed his best friend's number was currently calling him.

"Hey Tucker, you won't believe what I got in my..."

"Danny! I'm currently having a pokemon battle in my garage!"

There was a shocked pause between them before Tucker slightly grimaced when his mate shouted in his ear, "You're having what in your WHAT?!"

"I know, it's crazy but...Magneton dodge and used Tri-Attack...yeah, I know it's crazy, do you think a ghost is behind this?"

"I don't think, I know it is...Tucker, are you...battling right now?"

"Hey what can I say, Danny? I'm having what all Pokemon gamers dream they could do and I'm living the dream...finished it off with Zap Cannon!

"Zap Can...Tucker are you nuts! That move might blow away the..."

His warning came too late, with Tucker's judgment clouded by adrenaline, Magneton followed his lead and used that move, forgotten it was battling within the garage and ended up blowing the whole one side of the wall. The Mightyeena laid sprawling on the ground with swirly eyes.

Seeing the aftermath, the pair of human-pokemon laid silence for a moment until Danny called out his name to break his thought.

"I'll call you back Danny." And flipped his phone closed.

"Tucker! Is that you? What was that noise?" Called out the voice of his mother.

Magneton and Tucker looked at one another before the two decided to dash away from the scene of the crime.

.

.

.

Sam was now sitting on the park bench, letting Eevee eat her sandwich on her lap. Not that she was hungry anyway, she's too busy trying to wrap the scene of this morning and how to rationalize all this.

"Well the only logical reason is for you to be a ghost," Sam speculate.

Eevee only respond was the wag of its tail and the satisfying cry of her name with a smile. Say what you want, but Sam couldn't be blamed to think the little thing as cute and patted her head. Yet Sam's sigh was audible as she thought about what her next step should be and promptly slap herself.

"Duh, I have a son of ghost hunters as a friend. Who else should I call?"

She pulled out her phone and got herself surprised when it suddenly vibrates. The display showing the name 'Paulina Sanchez' and grumbled in annoyance.

"What Paulina?!" Sam hissed.

 _"Sam where the heck are you?"_  Paulina barked back on the phone.

"Uhm, why would you care? Where I am is none of your business."

 _"It is when you're half an hour late from our meeting, don't you remember we're supposed to hang out today with Dash and his friends?"_  Paulina shot back.

 _'Shoot, I did'_  "Of course I remember, I'm just having a...wardrobe malfunction!"

That was a lame excuse.

_"...all right, I guess that can't be helped, just hurry it up alright"_

But that was reasonable enough reason for Paulina.

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Same place as usual?"

"Obviously, see ya, Sammy."

The conversation ended and Sam once more looked down at the fox-like creature, who is currently chasing her own tail.

"What to do with you?" She asked no one in particular. Eevee had become dizzy from chasing her own tail and began falling in dizziness on her back. Sam sighed at its cute nature and dreaded what she was about to do. "You better be worth it," Sam whispered softly to her.

.

.

.

Danny flipped his phone closed in frustration when Tucker cut him off. He breathed in and tried to reign in his anger and looked back at the Pokemon, Snorunt if he remembered correctly, who is now dancing around his room and playing the snow that now covered the floor.

"Danny, are you awake?" He heard his sister call and before Jazz could fully open his door. Danny had pushed his door from fully opening but not enough to close it either.

"Jazz~ don't you knock? It's called being rude you know..."

"Uh...news flash Danny, I've been doing that since you were 10, I doubt you have anything to hide that I don't know of, what's gotten into you...and why is your room so chilly?"

"None of your business and maybe it's about time you learn a little bit called 'privacy' for your brother Jazz, now let a guy have some space!" With one final push, he finally got Jazz off his door. Unknown to him, Jazz's mind was wandering the psychology aspect of his brother's mind.

"Hmm, excuses, critical, making his personal space off-limits... he's hiding something, and I'm going to find out what."

Danny turned back to the ghostly creature on hand, pondering what to do. He left the thermos in the basement so he can't suck him into the thermos. So how is he going to sneak away Snorunt without giving him away to his family, "Alright, I don't want to get any trouble for the both of us so I want you to don't move and stay right here, can you do that?"

Snowrunt seemed to cock its head (which in turn, cocked its body) and gave a jumping cry and calling out 'Snorunt! Snorunt!' until Danny shushed him.

"And be quiet too okay!"

With those last words, Danny slipped out of his room and acting as normal as possible, he climbed down the stair to eat breakfast with his family. He sighed happily knowing it was Jazz who was cooking breakfast today, his parents were working on a project on the dining table with a chainsaw on hand but that's nothing new.

"Morning Mom, morning Dad."

Maddie stopped using her chainsaw to greet her son with her motherly smile, "Morning Sweetie, did you get a good nice sleep?" she said with the chainsaw strapped on her shoulder as if it was a common household item for her.

"Sure..." better than most sleep these days, "what are you working on this time?" he asked just as Jazz gave him a sandwich.

Maddie was about to answer her son when Jack cut her off while showing off the incomplete tech (as usual), "I'm glad you ask Dann-O, this here you see this..." he motioned the camera now painted white and modified for their ghost hunting needs, "...is the Fenton Ecto-Cam, you just need to shoot and aim like normal camera and you will get picture the very moment you rip those ghost apart and turned them into ectoplasm goo!" A few shook of the cam and it began to fall apart with smoke coming out of it. "As soon as I fix this, it would help hunt ghosts in a jiffy," he grumbled dejectedly.

"That's great Dad!" Danny nodded at his dad with a default smile, cold sweat dripped down at the same time he silently edged away with his seat as he mentally told him to stay away to that particular tech.

"Danny, do you mind if you down to the basement and grab few more screws down the lab?" His mother asked him.

"Okay, Mo-uhk!" Danny couldn't help but cut off his words the moment he met eyes with a purple blob with a pair of eyes and he knew was a pokemon-like ghost.

"Is something wrong, Sweetie?" she made to turn but was stopped when Danny held on to her shoulder, making her face him.

"Nothing, just...thought that I..." he saw the Grimer began climbing down the basement, "I should go grab that screws right at this moment and since I'm forgetful, I'll possibly be there for quite some time searching so don't try to go down there!" with that note he dashed down the stairs, leaving a bemused mother at his wake.

When Danny arrived at the lab, he was blindsided by the sudden bright light enveloping the purple blob, turning it bigger and more powerful. Once the light diminished, Danny then recognized the poison type pokemon as Muk. It moved slowly but with an obvious trail that made Danny blanched.

"Oh come on, you do know I'm the one that has to clean up all this mess!  _GOING GHOST_!"

Turning himself to Phantom, Danny proceeds to punch the ghost pokemon away-not ghost type, just ghost-and leave some damage but his action only resulted in his fist to get stuck inside of its purple goopiness. Danny tried to pull himself out, but whatever Muk was made of made it hard for him to do so.

In fact, it was sucking Danny even further and try as he may, Danny couldn't pull his arm out that's now shoulder deep inside the pokemon. "Ugh, I cant...get...free!" Danny felt panic whelp up inside of him that as the seconds' tick by, his feet, torso, and now his whole body is being sucked up inside Muk, now leaving only his head free. He tried going intangible but Muk just went intangible along.

"Gotta...ugh...think...away out of here," he said as he struggled.

as if his prayer has been answered, appearing from above through the ceiling was little Snorunt, looking angry at the giant purple blob who is trapping Danny. He was surprised to see Ghost Pokemon has certain ghost power along as well. Then he felt the room became much colder and he saw in awe at the blue energy concentrated in front of him before Snowrunt shot out an Ice Beam toward Muk, making it froze in ice. Danny smiled at that and used all his enhanced could muster to break free from the hold.

"All right! way to go Snorunt, you were great!" He exclaimed happily.

"Snorunt~Snorunt~"

While the small pokemon was dancing in victory Danny spotted the thermos in hand and took. He briefly thought of sucking Snorunt then and there but thought twice about. For reason one, if the few of the pokemon were to used the full potential of their power then even with ghost powers, he doubted he could take them on himself, and reason two; he was grateful Snorunt had helped him and wouldn't feel right to trap him in the thermos.

"Hey Snorunt," the pokemon turned to look up at Danny, "It looks like there's going to be a lot of battle ahead of me, what do you say about coming along with me?" Snowrunt was silent as they held the gaze for a while before the pokemon began jumping even more happily than before. Before Danny could calm the little runt down, he heard his name being called from upstairs.

"Danny! Tucker's here and he says he needs to talk!" Jazz yelled out.

"I'll be right there!" He looked back down at Snowrunt, "Now, I want you to stay till like a doll until I say so, can you do that?"

Per his request, Snowrunt promptly stood still and one wouldn't be blamed if they had thought him as a doll at first glance. Danny smiled approvingly and picked him up in his arms.

Quickly dashed up to the stairs, trying to pass by his family as casual as possible.

"Danny..." the call of his name from his mother's lips made his heart stopped, "Where are the screws I asked you to get...and why are you carrying a doll?" His mother edge closer and Danny was too late to step back, "and look how cute it is, though a bit weird looking but in an endearing way." He melted away at the tone and words she used.

"Aaa...it's...actually a gift I bought for a friend," Danny confessed.

"Oh, is it a girl?" Maddie's smile turned a bit sly.

"No...I mean, yes! But she's just a friend, nothing more."

Maddie was about to press her son more information but Jack who had overheard then cut her off but with the same girl in mind, "Who? Is it that Sam girl that's been coming here?"

"No! She's just a friend!"

"They didn't say otherwise, Danny." Jazz passed her brother by with an identical smile as her mother.

"...I'm not having this conversation, I'm going out with Tucker so don't wait up on me!" Then he quickly escaped to his friend as a refuge, who was waiting outside his door and was confused why he didn't wait in his house instead. The answer came when he closed the door behind him and out came Magneton from above, surprising both him and Snorunt.

"Neat right? I found it stuck behind the TV, you've got a pokemon too?"

"Yeah, Tucket meet Snorunt. Snorunt, Tucker. I saw him this morning when I woke up to find him making snowfall in my room."

Tucker laughed at the image of him waking up in a snowing room, "Guess we both got up with surprises, so now what do we do?"

"Well, obviously this isn't the only ghost pokemon around so we need to search out the town and catch every single one of them."

"...so you're saying we're going to catch real-life pokemon?" Tucker said with excitement laced in every word.

"Tucket, be serious here! We're not doing this for fun and I'm honestly still in two minds sucking the two pokemon we have right now with the thermos."

"Come on Danny, look me in the eye and tell me you never dreamed of having a real-life Pokemon battle?"

"Tucker."

"Danny."

They had a staredown for a moment before Danny heaved a sigh and followed by a defeated smile, "You know me well enough to know that answer," he reluctantly admitted and Tucker whooped.

"Woohoo, we're going on an adventure!"

"If this is an adventure, doesn't that make every ghost hunt we do every night as one?" Danny asked amused, just as they moved down the street. Snowrunt and Magneton following from behind invisibly.

"Yeah but...this isn't just a ghost hunt, it's a pokemon ghost hunt! If the pokemon is any close to how the game portrays them we'll just need to find some tall bushes, no problem. It's not like they're going on a rampage or something."

A screech from up above and they saw a giant green dragonfly standing on top of a red sedan, or at least to most people it looks like a dragonfly. To those avid fans of Pokemon, they might recognize it as Flygon.

And it looked like it's ready to roast something.

"Tucker, you really need to keep your mouth shut."

"I know."

" _I'm going ghost_!" Danny ran to one of the sideroad trees and changed into his alter ego.

He began facing the green dragon and before he could say anything to it, the Pokemon shoot out a white beam. Danny dodges, and the beam blew out a van in the process.

He glared at the Pokemon and tackle it to its gut, sending it sprawling to the ground. But Flygon quickly got up flew, not a bit flinch by the attack. Danny didn't let it fly far before he grabbed its tail and tried to drag it back to the ground. What he miscalculate was the superior strength it had and is now dragging Danny to the sky.

"Tucker, a little help here?" He yelled as he was hanging on at the end of Flygon's tail.

"Dude, don't you play? Flygon is a dual ground-dragon type pokemon, Magneton's attack won't do a thing to it and I'll be damn if I give my first pokemon a death sentence!"

"Well, what attacks that are effective?!" He cried out against the wind before the pokemon's tail began shining and felt it became hard as iron then flicked it strong enough for Danny to crashed down on a car.

"Easy, dragon, water, and... ICE! Danny, where's Snorunt?"

Danny moaned for a bit before looking around and found Snowrunt was helping himself with a giant scoop of ice cream on an abandoned cart. He quickly flew and scoop him up, "Alright Snorunt, this is your chance to be helpful, used aaa...whatever ice move!"

With an unhelpful order, Snowrunt's only response was to look questioningly at Danny. That slight pause was enough opening for Flygon to glow and become a purplish-blue shaped of a very menacing dragon, rushing at then at a much higher speed.

Seeing this particular move that screamed bad, Danny flew up but Flygon's was on his tail even after swerving left and right across the air, trees, and buildings yet it was only a matter of time before it caught up. So he shielded Snowrunt and took the brunt of the attack. Causing him to scream in pain and fell in his human form.

"Oh no, Magneton break his fall!" Tucker ordered.

Swiftly as he said, Magneton caught him by its back and gently got him down. Snowrunt seeing Danny unconscious was feeling both sad and angry. He tried nudging him awake and that only made him groan painfully. Tucker was quickly by his side, just as worried but noticed the different atmosphere around the friendly Snow Hat Pokemon.

"Sno~runt~!"

The little pokemon began to glow ever so brightly, Tucker's eye was as wide as a saucer and was slapping his best friend awake.

He did wake up though, just in time to witness Snorunt turning into its next evolutionary stage; Glalie. The spherical pokemon with mean look and black rock core covered in ice.

With a cry of his name, Glalie made their surrounding dark from the thick clouds above them and summon a blizzard upon them. He made sure the flow of the wind was against Flygon and quickly felt weak by the sheer cold and force of the wind, the pokemon was weakened to the ground.

Danny was starstruck by the scene, he couldn't help the gasping awe he let out, "AWESOM...I er...mean, let's keep things professional shall we?" He corrected himself in the end, but it didn't fool his best friend if his smirk was any more telling.

"Whatever you say, man."

Flygon wasn't defeated yet as it kept itself airborne but only a few inches from the ground, Danny did not let this chance go away, "Glalie used..." Tucker offered him his PDA and showed some of the moves he could use, "Headbutt!"

As he was instructed, Glalie dashed in high speed toward the Dragon-type and hit right on its small head.

"Used Ice Beam on its tail and wings!"

"Glalie!" Blue energy ball condensed in front of him and began shooting its intended target. Making it limp on the ground. Danny, with his thermos out, and aimed at the ghostly pokemon.

"Time for you to fly your way in here!"

He pushed the button and the fainted Flygon was sucked in without a problem. He then met eyes with the Face Pokemon and stretched out his arm. "All right Glalie you were great, come here!" His offered for hug might not have been the wise choice because overexcited Glalie tackled him in response, giving more bruises in the end.

"I'm okay...ugh...on second thought I think I broke my back."

.

.

.

"Sammy, over here!" Sam strode over to the merry band of the popular crowd at one corner of the cafe, Paulina waving her arm as she called out her name. She made a small wave back at the table where not just her trio of friends, but also Kwan, Dale, Dash, Tiffany and three other kids she barely know their name.

Her steps became hesitated, imagining their reaction when Eevee came into view next to her feet but she quickly shook it off and continue walking like this morning she hadn't been attacked by a giant purple snake and got rescued by a brown fox-dog hybrid or some kind that shoots dark energy beam.

Nope, her face says absolutely nothing is wrong.

Out of the crowd, Valerie was the first to notice the brown furry thing and slightly frown, "Sam, what is that?"

"Oh...this?" She nudged Eevee, "This is just a...stray I found."

While others weren't impressed, Paulina, Tiffany, and Dale showed some annoyance, while Kwan was the only one who came up to Eevee and started petting her. Dash would do the same if not for the reputation he has so he settled for glancing jealously at his best friend.

"Ugh, why would you bring that here Sam. This isn't a shelter you know," Paulina scoffed.

"I know but I can't just leave her, besides she's gotten attached to me."

"Well I think it's cute and kind of you to let it follow you around like that Sam," said the redhead of this group.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

Said redhead face planted to the table.

She then had Kwan took care of Eevee while she bought a Caramel Macchiato Latte and sat between Star and Valerie. Eevee now lying peacefully on her lap.

"Guys, have you, like, seen the Loren's latest TikTok post?" Tiffany asked.

"I did, it was hilariously awesome," Kwan asked.

"Also, have you guys heard of Maroon's newest song? It hits the soul, I'm even thinking of shifting to them over Humpty Dumpty." Valerie told them.

"Humpty Dumpty over a rookie band? Blasphemy Val, how could you?" Dash said with faux betrayal, making the others laugh.

"Oh my gosh," Star suddenly gasped, "Look at the adorable cat videos." She showed them a cat trying to squeeze its head in a sock and failed to get out. 

"Aaaaaww~"

Sam was just listening but despite the topic being something she's familiar. It strange that coming from them, it felt hollow to her. Their conversations continue with Sam reacting to what they say and inwardly groaning once they began praising themselves. Occasionally patting Eevee as her sole comfort.

_'I'm booooored, I would have stayed and taken another of that giant snake than this. Somebody please just take me away.'_

Sam glanced to her side, her body language showed how uninterested she was until she spotted two of her familiar friends across the street. Her curiosity pique when Tucker was pointing on an ally. Then, out of nowhere, appeared two floating objects? Ghost? Whatever it was, it was clearly anything but normal and the moment they went into that alley there were flashes of light and Sam found herself standing.

"Sam, what's wrong? You seem...tensed," Star asked her friend.

"Who me?" Sam looked down at her with an easy smile, pointing at her self questioningly, "No...I just...I think I've got to go, see you tomorrow at school, okay guys? Bye!"

.

.

.

"Psst Star, I brushed it off because I wanted to good look in front of Sam, but have you ever seen that kind of dog before?"

"Hmm, now that I think about it no, I haven't, why?"

"...but doesn't it look familiar? I swear it looked like Eevee in that Pokemon game, I even heard it barked like one!"

Star just looked back at her childhood friend with a raised eyebrow and shook her head. Remembering he had told her he got saved by a ghost form a fire breathing dragon.

"I'm telling you it did!"

.

.

.

When Sam arrived at the alley, she was surprised to find a lot of unfamiliar creatures surrounding the boys.

_'Oh yeah, it's a ghost.'_

**(AN: You can try playing ' _who's that Pokemon?_ ' for the next three paragraphs)**

One was was a large feline creature. Its fur is pale tan with the exception of its black-rimmed ears. It has a short muzzle with a small, black nose, red eyes with slit pupils, and rounded ears.

Another was a more surreal creature that strongly resembles a coconut palm or other palm tree. Its legs and body resemble a tree trunk, and its legs are thick with two-toed feet. It has leaves sprouting from the top of its body and has three to six round, light yellow heads that resemble coconuts, each with different facial expressions

Then there was a small, pink, roundish Pokémon with branch-like growths on its back, which are similar to coral. There is a smaller, blunt horn on its forehead, and it has black, oval eyes. It has white speckles towards the sides. Its four legs and two arms are blunt and stubby.

Tucker looked left and right before locking eyes with her, she found his face looked across between surprise and fear before tackling Danny down who was...stretching his arm? What's up with that? He pointed behind them and was just as surprised to see her and the only response she made was to waved nervously. But that also got the attention of the cat, the palm tree, and the coral.

The palm tree had something long and green stretching out like a whip and grabbed around her waist. Lifting her up in the air and making her scream.

""SAM!""

The Exxegutor that seemed to lead this merry band of pokemon, to order something as Corsola used Water Gun the same time Persian used Dark Pulse.

Tucker quickly had Magneton used Protect, shielding them from the attack and Danny had told Glalie to use ice beam on the concrete floor. Giving their opponent unbalance standing. Eevee, seeing this as an opportunity, used Shadow Ball to the Coconut Pokemon, hurtling it back and releasing Sam for Danny to catch her.

"I like to ask you what you're doing here but first, are you okay?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

He smiled in relief before glaring back at the three Pokemons, "All right, let's take care of this, Glalie used Sheer Cold!"

"Magneton used Discharge!" Tucker ordered along with him. The combination attack was enough to weaken and put them down that Tucker used this chance to suck all three into the thermos. It was then that Tucker confronted the A-list girl that appeared in the middle of their ghost hunt, again. "What are you doing here, Sam?"

"Just...walking by and then I saw you two and decided I should say hi."

"Well hi to you too Sam, now don't take this personally, but I suggest you take your bag and run along."

"Excuse me?!"

Sensing the upcoming fight, Danny stood between his two friends. "What he means Sam is that we don't want you to get involve and get hurt Sam, right Tucker?"

Tucker crumbled audibly but nodded.

"Thank you for your concern but where I go is none of your business," Sam fumed out.

"Great, then where we're going is none of yours. Come on Danny!" He grabbed his best friend's shoulder and pushing him out the alley, making him unsure to either be compliant to his mate or stay with Sam.

Sam didn't want things to end though and blocked their way out, "Hold on, at least tell me what you were fighting! Those ghosts look different than the usual."

"Eevee!" cried the Evolution Pokemon in agreement to her.

The two stared wide eye, finally noticing the ghost Pokemon accompanying their classmate.

"You have a Pokemon too?!" Tucker asked which to Sam respond was a tilt of her head and slight furrow of her eyebrow.

"What's a Pokemon?"

...

Shock.

Would be an understatement of what Tucker and Danny felt when they heard this question.

Tucker picked on his ear and made to ask for confirmation, "Danny I must have misheard her, but did she just say what I think she just said."

"I think she did Tucker. I wasn't sure if such a question was even possible from our own peers." Danny confirmed with slight awe in his tone.

"Can you two give me a straight answer!"

Tucker regard her with eyes full of pity before patting her shoulder in a reassuring manner, which freaked her out a little bit, "Sam, I'm sure you know, but I don't quite like you, but I'm ready to set aside our differences to enlighten you the wonder of one of the greatest and revolutionary game ever created in pity of your childhood."

"Wait, what?"

And so Tucker went on a 25 hours...sorry minute, 25 minutes lecture, but it sure does felt like hours, to Sam as he went on the game that shaped up a great childhood. How Pokemon was created by the great Satoshi Tajiri in 1995 but way before that, this pet project of had many setbacks and took decades to complete with his small-time company Game Freak, yet despite that, Satoshi never gave up and that very game made his company one of the famous gaming company when it was originally a game journalist company and Pokemon took the hearts of many children across the country, revolutionizing the gaming industry from his ambitious vision.

"So...it's a game," Sam concluded.

"It's not just a game Sam! It's the role model of games that uses strategic thinking, adventuring and at times a bit of mystery solving. It not only revolutionized the game industry, but it also created culture!"

Sam did not seem impressed and Danny decided he should pull back Tucker's mind back in track before they were able to go at it.

"All right Tucker, that's about enough preaching don't you think? Even those three are sleeping because they had enough of you." He pointed at the heap of three Pokemon sleeping soundly against each other in the middle of Tucker's enthusiastic history speech, "plus we've got a job to do remember?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Tucker began marching out with his chest stuck out in pride, "and Sam should watch what real-life Pokemon catching is like! Only then will you see and appreciate the art of Pokem-"

Tucker couldn't able to finish that sentence because a Pidgeot suddenly swoop down, grabbed Tucker, then fly away into the sky.

The two that were still left in the alley, took time to processed that yes, Tucker was kidnapped by a giant bird Pokemon.

Most likely to eat him but, who knows?

"Did that just happened?"

"Yes, yes it did."

...

""TUCKER!""

and so they went to chase him and quickly saved him with quick help from Magneton. However, they then confront a mob of various bird Pokemon which they had they had to run from getting chased until Tucker captured them all. Then when they had to hide in an abandoned warehouse they were chased down by ghost-type Pokemon which Danny captured them. Then noticing they had run farther outward from their block, walked back pass the aquarium only to hear passing rumors of new strange fishes which of course they had to check and ended up watching Tucker swimming from getting chased by a horde of water Pokemons.

"Gah, I can't take catching all these Pokemon! How many are there anyway!" Sam complained.

"More or less, four hundred Pokemon," Tucker answered her.

"Four hun-I can't take another sight of them!" Danny belted out, but then he realized what he said and looked nervously at his pokemon who was on the brick of crying and immediately try to comfort him by hugging him, "Oh, no, no, not you Glalie. You know you're the exception."

"Glalie~"

"Though I like Magneton with me, we do still need to find the ghost that's causing this, but where would someone who summons Pokemon would be hiding I have no ide-" Tucker froze when he realized, he knew where the kind of ghost who loves game enough to summon them alive would be.

"Of course! Guys, I think I know where he is, he's in..."

.

.

.

""The arcade center?"" The duo wailed incredulously.

"Yup," Tucker answered grinning.

"Are you sure the ghost will be here?" Danny queried further, feeling unsure coming here because then that would mean it would be too obvious and easy to find the ghost and surely it wouldn't be that easy?

Sam was busy quelling her excitement. She had never been allowed to come here as a kid, her parents state its where ruffian or neglected and uncultured kids would come and spend their time, and not many of the popular teens were interested in the arcade, especially the girls.

So now going to the arcade, for her feels like going to an unknown uncharted world she had always wondered in her times and wanted to experience so going now would definitely quench one of her guilty pleasure.

'It's never boring tagging along with these two all the time'

"The ghost is either haunting here or in some games store nearby," Tucker informed them confidently, "Guys...just trust me on this."

Tucker opened the door and the three came up inside, it was crowded with kids of all ages, the noise filled with lively laughter, excited screaming, and the frenzy sound effect of different games coming together and then there was one who was spouting an awful lot of colorful curses over a crate game.

"So...do you think the ghost is here?"

Danny was unsure of it, but a single breath of cold mist was enough to convince him, "Oh yeah he's here alright," he said as he examined the arcade. "Listen, as far as I know, while some ghosts could pass off as regular people, if try to look close enough you might find them a bit off. Once either of you finds anyone suspicious, page me, I know how to flush them out."

Sam and Tucker nodded and they began to separate themselves. They watched one person at a time, trying to find anyone peculiar. Sure there were weird kids who got their attention but nothing out of the ordinary. Just as the three got reunited, their eyes all locked at one dark blue hooded figure playing a GameBoy alone at a bench just next to another arcade game. He wore brown khaki pants and black crocs shoes and if one took notice of his fingers, his skin was a tad shade of blue.

"Is it just me or does someone who plays GameBoy in an arcade looked suspicious of you?" Sam asked the boys.

The three came to a silent agreement at the unanswered question, and approach the lone figure. The cold breath that sprouted from his mouth took away any doubt in Danny's mind.

"That's him."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Sam was unsatisfied with the answer but let it go, "Now that we know he's the ghost, how are we going to go about it? We can't just go straight up and ask him that."

Tucker who wasn't listening to her, did exactly that.

"Hey there, are you the one who's been spreading ghostly Pokemon? Because damn you just relive my childhood and man I can't thank you enough."

His two friends couldn't help but wipe their face exasperatedly.

"Idiot."

"Dammit, Tucker don't thank him!"

The blue hooded ghost became startled at the sudden interruption fumbled his platinum-colored GameBoy between his hands until he was sure he wouldn't drop it. His face was clouded by his shadow but the way his mouth curved was enough to tell he was nervous. His back was slouched and the way he twitched ever so slightly made the Trio doubt he was the ghost until he admitted it easily enough himself.

"Ye...yes, that...that would be m...me. I...I'm glad you're ha...happy with them."

The ghost stuttered almost throughout the sentence and the mild manner he displayed made them unsure how to confront him. Danny, as self-proclaimed Amity Park's hero, decided he need to make his attention clear and managed the problem swiftly and diplomatically in a professional manner.

"Uhm hi, er...I guess should we start with your name? My name's Danny, this is Sam and Tucker."

Smooth Danny, real  _smoooooooth_.

"Ju...just call me Ga...Gamer, everybody ca...calls me that."

"Okay Gamer, do you think you could pull back the Pokemon you somehow summon and go back to the Ghost Zone? It'd be bad if people got hurt because of it"

"Oh...OH...I'm so...sorry...I made trouble did I? I'm so sorry, I must be troubling you a lot, I'm so sorry/"

"Hey, hey, hey it's okay." Danny tried to calm him down, "No one got hurt as far as I know, so just call back the Pokemons everything will be water under the bridge."

"O...okay."

'Well, this is the easiest ghost case I have." He mumbled under his breath.

"Bu...but, is it o...okay if I have o...one sm...small request?"

Danny was feeling in good mood at the smooth conversation, he didn't think much when he answered, "Sure, what is it?"

"Wou...would you three battle with me?"

"Sure," Danny said simply.

...

For three seconds before he blinked and comprehend what he agreed on.

A wide grin spread under the shadow of the hood. All the arcade games began to glow green and rumbling ominously before floating around the room, making both customers and employees running in fear. The invisible Pokemon became visible and stood ahead of their master as Tucker, Sam, Danny had their back with each other, their eyes wary of any upcoming threat.

"Oh, don't be so uptight you guys, I'm not actually going to hurt anyone." The shift from the stuttering shy ghost into one with mischievous and a bit excited tone, and threw them off a bit until Sam growled at the ghost.

"You tricked us!"

The ghost cocked its head in confusion, "No, I didn't. I ask what I ask and you agree. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides now that it's just us, we can..." Tucker ready his thermos while Danny silently resolved himself to shift to Phantom if worse comes to worst, his secret isn't worth getting Sam injured. The arcades shifted and landed in the form of a square barricade surrounding them, the monitors flickering on despite not being connected to a power source. Then Gamer pull out 3 small red and white balls and both boys gasped at the implication.

"Wait, when you say battle, you don't mean..."

"3 vs 3 pokemon battles, no substitution, one pokemon for each three of you, kick-butt to the max, how's that sounds?"

Danny shifted his wide eyes into a glare and motioned Tucker to keep a hand on his thermos, "Pass, how about we just go finish this with..."

"Na-ah-ah, don't want you to ruin the fun." Emerging from his GameBoy was other Pokemon, and Gamer had especially pick those with big and intimidating figures such as Combusken, Snorlax, and Salamence surrounding the trio. Even if Danny had gone ghost, currently he's no match against all of them at the same time.

"Fine, we'll play your stupid game," Danny conceded.

"Wo hoo!" Tucker cried with his arm raised, receiving a glare by Danny, "Er...I mean, wow this is bad."

Danny then turned to Sam who was looking a bit pale as she began to hug her Eevee tighter. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be alright, we've played this game before so just leave this to me and Tucker and you won't have to join his game."

If Sam was her usual self, she would have complaint on being told to do nothing. However, at the moment she was dragged in something unfamiliar to her with rules and terms she wasn't used to and not sure if she should speak up at the moment and nod at Danny instead.

Gamer smiled at the prospect of playing and with the flick of his finger, a pixelated form of Sonny the Warthog appear in the middle of the battle stage with a mic on hand, his voice echoing like a sports announcer.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

The trio was surprised at the applause coming from the arcades. The lamps began shifting and spreading its light like in those Hollywood premiere show. Today, we will witness the ultimate battle of the century in the Pokemon battle HISTORYYYYYYY! On the blue side, we have the master of games, the ghost that played tricks, the stubborn guy who doesn't know the word quit, the man who won everything except for the ladies' heart, GAMEEEEEEER!"

All the lamp shot toward the ghost, the applause became louder, the Gamer shot an irritated look to Sonic before grinning and shooting out peace sign with both his hand then he started blowing kisses.

"On the red side, we have the three meddling kids, the Protectors of Amity Park, TUCKER, SAM AND DAAAAAANNYYY!"

The applause was just as loud after taking a good look, it actually came from the game character inside the monitor and the Trio waved awkwardly at them. "So, how are we going to do this?" Tucker asked.

"Well he wants a battle, then we'll just give it to him." 'and I can't just carelessly use my power in front of Sam' "I'll go on first while you two stay back then Tucker, I can leave it to you right?"

Tucker made a thumbs up and Danny smiled.

"Are both gamers ready?" The referee asked, to the nods of both ghost and half-ghost. "Will the contestant please choose their Pokemon!"

The Gamer took one Pokeball and threw it with vigor, "All right Absol I choose you!"

"Glalie, let's go!"

Sonny looked to both contestants, in turn, confirming they were ready, "Now let the battle...BEGIN!"

**[Absol vs Glalie]**

"Absol let's put our pace in with a start off with Dark Pulse!" Absol took a deep breath and blew out a pulse of visible dark energy, allowing Glalie to dodge aside as Danny had him too.

"Let's use the same tactic and used Ice Beam on the floor and follow it up with Gyro Ball!"

Glalie did just that, covering the tile floor in ice. Gamer made Absol dodge the incoming attack but the floor made it difficult for him to dodge the spinning steel type move from Glalie. The sliding of its fall also made it harder for the Disaster Pokemon to gain its bearing and was attacked by another helping of the same attack.

"Grrr, Absol used Double Team!"

Absol obeyed and there were multiple Absols surrounding and confusing Glalie. He twisted and turn but not sure where to attack and became flustered.

"Come down Glalie, the real one is there, just focus!"

"Absol used Payback!"

All of the Absol's horn began to glow and came at one toward Glalie, and Glalie still not calm enough to think was a second too late to dodge and got hit that does the double the damage he did and fell to the icy floor.

"GLALIE!"

"HECK YEAH ABSOL! Now let's make this a quick job using Night Slash."

'Glalie used Blizzard!" Despite not flying, he was able to summon another Blizzard. Obstructing Absol from coming closer, but that did not deter Absol nor Gamer.

"Stay strong, used Razor Wind!"

"Glalie fly up and use Freeze-Dry!"

To his tenancy, Glalie was barely able to dodge the attack and used said move to his opponent. To their luck, the move was able to freeze Absol in ice, much to Gamer's dismay.

"All right Glalie, let's finished this with Headbutt!"

"Glalie!" Glalie cried and did just that, crushing the ice and knocking Absol out.

The referee watched with careful eye at any minute twitch Absol made, but after certain it's defeated, he raised his left hand, "Absol is unable to battle, Glalie wins!"

Sam and Tucker cried out in excitement at their win and even didn't realize themselves that they were hugging, too drunk in their euphoria. Sam especially after watching a battle, unlike anything she has ever seen.

Danny was gaping in shock at his own victory and wasn't sure how to react until Glalie barreled against him so he would give him a hug. Danny had to laugh to hide the pain he felt from that but also because he just won a pokemon battle in real life.

It was a surreal experience and he loved every moment of it.

"All right, all right, you win. So what? This battle isn't over so pick my next opponent I could crush!" Gamer growled.

"Nobody likes a sore loser Gamer, how about we just skip the battle and get to the part we suck you to the thermos!" Tucker said as he appeared beside Danny.

"Uuuh Tucker, I don't think provocating a ghost you're going against is a good idea," Danny wisely offered his suggestion.

"Don't worry Danny, this round is as good as mine." He then stood on the edge of the battleground, Magneton already appearing at his side and flashing the same confidence as him.

Danny was a bit worried but knowing he had to leave things to Tucker and stood by Sam's side who was skeptical if he could win because of his big head, "Do you think he could win?"

"Contestant, choose your Pokemon!"

Gamer pulled out his second Pokeball and threw it, "I choose Poliwrath!"

"Magneton all the way!" Tucker proudly say as the Magnet Pokemon stood before him.

Gamer eyes the pokemon before smirking, "This would be an interesting match."

Danny didn't hear what Gamer said but he did have similar thoughts before answering Sam, "Well this is going to be a difficult type, they both Type advantage against each other." Seeing her confused look, Danny elaborate, "In Pokemon, there various type of Pokemon and move used by them, and all have their advantage and disadvantage against other types. Like fire-type is stronger against grass-type." He gestured to Magneton..."Electric-type," ...then to Poliwrath," is stronger against water-type and so does Fighting-type," He gestured back to Magneton, "against a steel-type."

"LET THE GAME BEGIN!"

**[Poliwrath vs Magneton]**

"Magneton, let's shake things up first with Screech!"

Said pokemon resounded with a deafening screeching noise, making those around, including digital characters, clamped up their ear.

"Now used thunderbolt!"

"Poli! Dodge then come up close and used your Submission!"

"Magneton used Discharge once she does!"

Poliwrath magnificently dodge away, once she did, she went up close held the edge of the magnet and hurl it to the ground, but she got a doze of its Discharge as she did.

"Don't let them stop our momentum, used Dig and used bulk up while you're digging!"

"WHAT?! You can do that?"

"I can and I have," Gamer said with his tongue sticking out.

"Magneton, be wary of your surroundings, he might come up in any place!" It nodded and with its three eyes eyeing the battleground. The sound of rumble came but quickly it was gone. Then Poliwrath jumped out but wary Magneton managed to avoid it. Poliwrath was creative though. she grabbed on the magnet once more and crushed it under his feet as he fell down. Tucker despite not expecting that, didn't miss a beat in ordering a Thunderbolt and it hit Poliwrath square in the chest. Pushing both Pokemon apart from both super effective attacks."

The two weren't knock out yet though, they still have the strength to get up but it was already taking all their will to do it. They knew it, and their masters knew it. They both looked down at their respective Pokemon and then met each other's eye...well, not Tucker though, the hoodie hid Gamer's face so it was hard seeing his eyes. The point being they came into a wordless agreement.

"All or nothing..."

"...one last attack."

They nodded with one another.

"Poliwrath used Focus Blast!"

"Magneton used Zap Cannon!"

The two prepared their attacks and at the same time, released it together, colliding into a giant flashed that had the audience cover their eyes and a gust of wind that blew against them. Once it died down and they blinked away the spots, the saw two Pokemon, looking at one another with what anyone could say, respect.

Then Magneton fell and the winner is clear.

"Magneton is unable to battle, Poliwrath wins"

"YEAH BABY WE WON! HIGH FIVE POLI!" The pair of ghosts and pokemon high five in a cheery mood, in contrast to what Tucker was feeling.

"NOOOOOOO!" He ran where his Pokemon fell and cradled the metallic Pokemon in his arm, rocking and hugging it gently, "Magneton, you have fought valiantly, please rest in peace."

"It's not dead Tucker!" Danny voiced out his thought.

"Shush! Leave us be for a moment will you?"

Rolling his eyes, he left Tucker be and came up to Sam who was trembling at the edge of the battleground. Now that its 1-1 the outcome of the battle will be decided by Sam and he now felt bad that they had to push her to be in the spot where the fate of the game lies on her shoulder.

"Don't be nervous," Danny reassured her, "We're here to help you all the way and we played this game a lot of times before so you just need to listen to the move we say to you okay?"

"and look how Tucker went out," she snarked but winced in guilt. "Sorry just...do you believe me if I say I was excited instead of nervous?"

Danny was about to call out her bluff when he paused and thought what kind of girl Sam was. She was a girl who challenged a lump of 15-foot tall meat covered Lunch Lady and challenged her menu and scolded a Ghost Hunter who had taken her hostage. Danny looked at her determined amethyst eyes and smiled.

"Sam, I think you're the bravest and coolest girl I know so yes, I believe in you, Sam."

Sam was momentarily surprised at the sudden compliment but took his to heart as she smiled back, both oblivious at the blushes crossing their cheeks.

"YO, IF YOU TWO ARE DONE FLIRTING CAN WE GET TO A BATTLE NOW?!"

""WE'RE NOT FLIRTING!""

The two looked at one another before glaring back at Gamer. Danny left her side and stood beside Tucker who was now pass his grieving point. "Do you think she could win this?"

"Maybe. I mean, I know she never played pokemon, which is ridiculous, but swing this right and we might just win this," Danny optimistically answered.

"Contestant, choose your Pokemon."

"Eevee I choose you!"

One look at the Pokemon and Gamer barely contain his laugh, "Eevee huh? Then I will choose..." throwing his Pokeball, Gamer released his third Pokemon. Showing them a giant blue rhinoceros beetle.

"Heracross!"

Tucker and Danny only need to realize the match-up and in unison, they said two words. ""We're screwed.""

"What?! Why?" Sam became frantic with nerves.

The two sighed and Tucker looked at her with pity as if her defeat was already obvious, "Listen, Sam, did Danny told you about Type Advantage?" She nodded, "Then you need to know that Normal-type like Eevee is weak against Fighting-type."

"But...but that's clearly a bug-type!" Sam protested only for them to shook their head in sadness.

"You're half right Sam," Danny supplied. "It's a Bug/Fighting-type Pokemon."

"Let the battle BEGIN!"

**[Heracross VS Eevee]**

"Heracross...use Brick Break!" Gamer ordered simply.

"Eevee dodge and focused only on dodging!"

Eevee did just that as she dodges with grace and swiftness from the flurry onslaught of attacks. The trio was kept on the edge, crossing their finger and hoping Eevee has good enough agility. Sam was biting her lips until Tucker offered their next move.

"Eevee use Double Team!"

Eevee avoided one attack and did just that, confusing the bug-type Pokemon and stopping from its track.

"Now use Quick Attack Eevee!" The many Eevee came at one with blinding speed and the attack connected but it only pushed him slightly.

"You think you can hide forever?! Use Fury Attack to find the real Eevee!" Heracross obeyed and began attacking with faster speed, one by one, the Eevee disappeared and Sam was feeling flustered.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" Sam mumbled anxiously. She felt a hand resting on her shoulder and glanced back to lock with Danny's determined eyes. "We'll get through this," he reassured her and Sam numbly nodded before she got her next move.

"Eevee use Iron Tail!"

Eevee's tail shone and turned rigid, and she jumped and followed it by flipping to give more momentum in her attack.

"You think it's enough to stop us? That's nothing," Gamer cockily said, "Heracross, block it with your Megahorn!"

Heracross grunted in affirmative, letting horn and tail meet midair, creating a shock wave. The two Pokemon wrestled with one another until Eevee was overwhelmed by the raw strength and got thrown away to the far side of the battlefield.

"EEVEE!"

Sam would have run mindlessly to the field if Tucker hadn't held her back, "Don't worry, Pokemon are sturdier than that." As soon as he said it, Eevee got up determinedly, ready for another round. "Damn, it's a good thing it wasn't a fighting-type move."

"Yeah, but how long until our luck ran out," Danny couldn't help but whisper out.

"Can't you two be more positive?! I'm trying to win here," Sam groused, annoyed by their pessimistic view.

Sam might not be familiar with the game Pokemon but she already got the basic stuff down and she can't rely on the boys forever, she's an independent woman. Moving the gears on her brain, she listed all the moves she has seen and a battle plan was formed. Ignoring the duo behind her, she called out her own move. "Eevee, confuse it with Quick Attack!" Eevee, understanding what her master wants did just that. With a speed that made her faster by the second, running around Heracross as her opponent tries to follow her movement.

"Follow it up with Iron Tail!"

With the extra boost from her speed, Eevee jumped and the momentum help carried her as she hit Heracross right across its face, even got so far to push her opponent back, surprising her friends and the ghost.

"Don't stop your Quick Attack and keep using Iron Tail!" And Eevee did just that, continuing the onslaught of her attack with a speed that prevented him to counter.

Ganer gritted its teeth at this, "You're fast but you're still predictable. Heracross, used Horn Attack to blocked it in front of you!"

Heracross nodded and after doing just that, his attack connected with Eevee once more but that made Sam smile.

"And so are you...Eevee use Shadow Ball!"

Eevee slightly nodded before condensing a dark energy ball and attack in point-blank range right at its face. Sam relished the gobsmacked look the boys had on their faces.

"She's a fast learner," Tucker couldn't help say to which Danny nodded.

Dust cloud formed and clouded its face as Gamer was looking solemnly down, "I guess I underestimate a newbie too much. Heracross use Hyper Beam!"

"What?!" Tucker cried, "Sam you have to dodge it!"

"No need to tell me, Eevee dodge it using Quick Attack!"

Eevee did just that since Hyper Beam needs seconds to build up, enough time to dodge. However, once she dodges to the right, she got caught surprise when Heracross was right in front of her, Gamer had read her move.

"Brick Break," Gamer said simply. Heracross did just that with a quick and swift movement, and got a direct hit, almost sending her out of the battlefield and making the Trio gasped.

' _Oh no, is it because I got too hasty?'_

To her credit, Eevee was still moving but one more attack and she would definitely go down.

"Heracross, let's finished this Focus Blast!" Gamer said with a sadistic grin. All the blood on Sam's face was drained and she was left out of words or ideas to get out of this situation.

' _I'm going to lose...'_

"Get up, come on, get up Eevee!" Sam turned to find Danny shouting out words of encouragement.

"It's not over yet Eevee, come on you were badass, get up!" Sam was surprised once more to find Tucker crying out for her, followed by the cry of Glalie and Magneton.

' _They're not giving up yet, even though I'm just a newbie, it's not over yet.'_

Sam then felt her heart touched and find Eevee barely standing on with her four feet and panting exhaustedly. "You can do it Eevee!" She found herself yelling out.

The moment she said that, Eevee's body began to enveloped with light, even distracting Gamer and his Pokemon.

"No way..."

"It can't be..."

"But that's..."

"Okay, you nerds all might know what's going on but can someone give me a clue! What's happening to Eevee?!" Sam snapped.

"""She's evolving!"""

Gamer snapped back his tough and decided before she's done evolving he should attack. Heracross understood the message and unleashed its powerful attack.

However, it was a second too late as Eevee...no, Espeon used Protect and rendered its attack null.

Sam found herself admiring her velvety lilac fur, purple eyes with white pupils in contrast with her own white eyes and purple pupils, red gem embedded on its forehead and spit tail in the end.

"That's..."

"Espeon, a psychic-type Pokemon."

"Meaning?"

"You got this battle in the bag."

Sam smirked, "Then Espeon, show us what you got."

Happily compiling her master's wishes, Espeon used Psychic, enveloping Heracross with telekinetic energy and was sent him higher and higher into the air...

Until it was sent hard to the ground, then to walls, the ceiling, the walls once more, and back to the ground again, and again, and again.

Dang, Espeon is merciless

Finally ending the attack, Heracross was left sprawled on the field, ending the battle and sent the audience in silent.

"He...Heracross is unable to battle, Espeon wins!" The referee announced.

Until the crowd goes wild, Sam stood still in shock that she had won until she and Espeon were both jumping in joy along with Danny and Tucker.

"You did it! You did it! Great job Espeon," Sam said as she patted her affectionately.

"Will the contestant please come forward!" Sonny asked them aloud.

The three teens looked unsure before doing as the referee said along with Gamer. Strangely, his confidant stance and aura was no longer there. He was slouching and fumbling with his GameBoy once more.

"Goo...good job you thr...three. Y...you guys were am...amazing!" He began stuttering again.

"Cut the crap Gamer, you don't need to play the meek character, we're not buying it!" Danny

"Iiiiiiiiiiih, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I...I'm not pla...playing a...anything, pl..please believe m...me!"

That earned a confused look from them.

"You're not?"

"Then what's with all the stuttering You weren't so...timid when you play with us." Tucker pointed out.

Despite hiding hid face under the hood's shadow, the trio could make the slight green blush the ghost made, "Er...hehe...sorry about that...it...it's just...when I play games, sometimes I found myself getting too...excited..." Gamer confessed.

The Trio processed what he said until it became all too clear for them.

"That was you getting excited?!" Sam incredulously said.

"More like downright bloodthirsty! I can't see your face but your smile was darn scary" Tucker added.

Gamer blushed more and even hide behind his GameBoy. Danny sigh and was just glad the mess is over, "Now that we win, you'll hold your bargain and send the Pokemon away right?"

"Oh...oh yes...but are you going to say goodbye to them first before I send them back?" The ghost asked as he motioned toward the Pokemon that fought for them.

Sam, Danny, and Tucker all looked down at their respective Pokemon. It had been a short yet eventful journey and they found themselves unwilling to say goodbye. Danny was the first to step forward as Glalie float on his eye level. He smiled and knowing the Pokemon loves a hug, he offered up his arm and this time Glalie didn't rush ahead and slowly got himself hug. the sound of whimpering muffled by Danny's shirt.

"You did a great job Glalie, thanks for being my partner today."

Tucker and Magneton were already hugging, not caring that they were bawling their eyes out. "Dude, you made a boy's dream came true, I'm going to miss you big magnetic metal lug."

Next, Sam wasn't sure what to say. Today was filled with a strange yet exciting event, and she never thought she would come to care the strange dog-like Pokemon she found on her bed this morning. They stared at one another, no words exchange before Sam crouched down and rubbed her behind the ear where she recently found was her favorite rubbing spot.

"I'll always remember you, thanks for giving me this experience." She pulled Espeon into a tight hug as well, then let her down.

Gamer pressed a few buttons on his GameBoy and soon all the surrounding Pokemon began to glow, their color turning green before getting sucked into the Gameboy's monitor. The three teens felt a small hole was made at the absence of their brief partner but knew they had to let go.

"Uhm...ex...excuse me," Gamer squeaked softly and getting their attention.

"I...is it fine if I of...offer you something?"

Danny thought it for a moment before shrugging, "Sure, what is it?"

Gamer then grinned again, his finger pressing the button's swift and fast before a go-kart appearing and suddenly everything makes sense when his screen said 'Super Maro's Kart'.

"HOW ABOUT A PLAYING AN ACTION-PACKED RACE OF THE CENTURY, SENDING THE LINE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND FOE INTO A BLUR, AIMING FOR GOLDEN TROPHY ACROSS AMITY PARK! WHAT DO YOU SAY WEEeeeeeee..." Gamer could not finish what he said before he was sucked into the thermos and the Go Kart dissipating.

"Yeah, sorry Gamer, but we're only allowed two hours of gaming," Danny said before capping his thermos.

"Phew, I thought he never shut up. I like him better when he's not playing."

"I think anyone would agree with that Tucker. Had he won we might get drag into another game of his." Danny paused, a thought came to him that made him wonder, "Now that I think about it, why didn't he just used legendary or mythical Pokemon? It would have assured his winning a lot more."

"Now that you mention it, you're right, I wonder why," Sam shared the same sentiment.

"You guys are so boring, isn't it obvious?" Tucker stated, "What fun are games if you are overpowered, it's when you won't know whether you win or lose that really sets the thrill in games."

Danny and Sam looked back at Tucker contemplatively and smiled, "He's got a point, after all despite being threatened, we did have fun," Danny said to then and the three find themselves laughing together as they walked out of the arcade.

.

.

.

After the hard battle with Gamer Ghost, Sam came home tuckered out as she reached her bed but the adrenaline that flew through had kept her restless. She closed her eyes and began remembering the details of today's adventure. The sight of her living in the edge, the adrenaline rush of getting Eevee...no,  _Espeon_ , she corrected herself, survive as if she was the one battling on the field, the intense air and how she had to think on her feet without screwing things up.

Then she thought back of Espeon and despite barely knowing her more than a day, she already misses the little rascal.

She thought of the game Pokemon, got up, turned on her laptop and looked through on the information. After reading and a slight glimpse of its video playing was enough to tell her she won't find the same rush in that game. Sighing, she was about to close her browser when she accidentally clicked another video instead.

A video that showed a gaming play in an online game called DOOM.

Seeing it firsthand, Sam was entranced and the rush went back just from watching it and she had a wide grin played on her lips. Then the video went blank and caught herself in her reflection and slapped her mouth in surprise.

"No, no, no, I shouldn't be doing this. A Manson isn't supposed to be a game geek, it's enough that I'm a supernatural geek already. It's not what a proper woman should be caught doing," She scolded herself.

Yet her cursor kept hovering over the link of said game, and the internal debate went raging inside her. Should she or should she not? It's just a game but a game still. No one would get hurt, except for her reputation when she got caught.

IF she gets caught.

Her eyes were locked at the link once more, her fingers twitching and hesitating to either click or not.

"Maybe...trying it out won't hurt. I'm just curious after all and maybe I'll get over it after playing, it's not like I couldn't stop or anything."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am aware Pokemon should only remember 4 moves. I forgot when I write it and am too lazy to change it up so deal with it (I'm sorry).


End file.
